Beyond Infinity and Space
by Lucaris
Summary: A student in need of a friend, an elf wishing for a protector, a holyman seeking power, and a king wanting destruction. From beyond the endless boundaries of the universe, the World of Riders hears their desires and answers them in kind. However, the universe, desire, or magic have no discrimination between Heroes and Villains...
1. Answered Calls

**Well, here it goes. My Kamen Rider/ZnT crossover.**_  
_

* * *

_The Friend_

The final Horoscope staggered back, his body smoking and surging with sparks. Gentarou Kisaragi half stared, half glared at the man through the eyes of his helmet. This was it. Their long battle against the Zodiarts was almost finished.

"N-No..." the last Horoscope grunted, an arm outstretched toward his foe, "M-My evolution. The Presenters!"

"This completes our graduation ceremony!"

Gentarou clenched his fists. In one quick motion he flipped the first and third switches on his belt.

ROCK-ET ON! DRI-LL ON!

A large, orange rocket formed on his right arm, nearly encasing it. Fire erupted from the exhaust ports, lifting Gentarou to the sky.

ROCK-ET DRI-LL LIMIT BREAK!

The rocket on his right arm ignited and he took to the sky. The drill on his right leg spun slowly at first, but got faster and faster, rivulets and particles of yellow energy emanating from the spinning construct.

For all the people who suffered by his hands.

For the Rider Club.

For Kengo.

"**Rider Rocket Drill Kick**!"

"Go! Gentarou!"

"Kisaragi!"

The sound of the whirring drill drowned out their voices. But somehow...

"I beg of you… My servant who lives somewhere in the universe!"

'Eh?' Time seemed to slow down as the words spoke. 'Who is that?' Gentarou thought, 'It doesn't sound like anyone I know...'

"Oh sacred, beautiful and strong familiar spirit! I desire and here I plead from my heart!"

The drill met the Zodiarts' chest. The evolved thing screamed as Gentarou grasped the Enter Lever on his belt and pushed down four times in quick succession. Colored energy pulse and spread from the drill, a beautiful but deadly display of light.

**"Youthful Galaxy Mega Ultra Hyper Drill Kick!"**

The near infinite might of Cosmic Energy was blinding. The Zodiarts desperately resisted, but it was futile. Not even he who had full mastery over this mysterious energy could stand against the full strength of the cosmos. Armor cracked and the Zodiarts screamed. Just a bit more!

But that voice returned, louder than before.

"Answer to my guidance!"

The words this time were more forceful, a command more than anything. 'What's going on?!' Gentarou yelled in his mind. This definitely wasn't the Chairman! Did he have another Zodiarts somewhere? But it didn't matter. Once the Chairman is defeated, everything will...

A green circular portal opened in between the hero and the villain. And before the eyes of the Kamen Rider club, the two were sucked inside, the strange circle closing afterward. They stared wide-eyed at what had just transpired in confusion.

"Gen-chan...?"

* * *

_The Zero_

Louise Francoise le Blanc de la Valliere yelped, ducking with all the grace of a drunkard as the glowing man in strange white armor nearly ran her through with his... leg?

"Wh-whoa! Out of the way!"

The students behind Louise were more or less fortunate. The students in the middle of the group pushed each other frantically, unfortunately knocking them down and causing a chain reaction of human dominoes, the few students off in the outer edges managing to get away. Luckily for them, the man in white titled the strange orange thing on his arm, sending him higher into the air, fire and smoke trailing behind him.

However, the man was so focused on avoiding the children and did not anticipate the sudden change in scenery that he didn't notice where his new trajectory took him.

Students picked themselves up from off the ground just in time to see the man scream and flail about in the air as he crashed drill first into the school's treasury with an explosion.

The students and their professor watched in silent horror as cracks ran along the wall from the hole like webs before finally giving away, debris of varying sizes falling onto the ground. Students panicked and ran away from the falling stone, their professor yelling at them to calm down. The only student who seemed to obey was the summoner herself, but it wasn't due to him, no. Outwardly, she was calmly staring at the damage her summon caused, un-heeding of the screaming and chaos around her, but in her mind was a storm of thoughts and emotions.

What did I summon- oh, what did I summon- it damaged the school! I'll be expelled for sure! No, no wait- it still isn't technically my familiar yet, right? Oh, but I was the one who summoned it! It's still my fault! But I summoned something! I'm not a failure after all! I summoned a powerful familiar! Beautiful... maybe? But MY familiar destroyed school property! I'll be punished! What would mother think? What would mother do?!

Finally, the professor had had enough of his students' panicking. And these children call themselves nobles!

"SILENCE!" The professor yelled at the top of his lungs, a bit of his old self showing through. Students immediately quieted and stopped. Louise herself was struck out of her stupor and stared at her teacher with a bit of fear. The look in his eyes reminded her all too much of her mother.

The professor took a calming breath before speaking, "Now that you're all done scurrying about like ants," he scolded, his edged tone making some of the students cower, "I would like for everyone to calm down and listen." The professor pointed his staff to two students. "The both of you shall go and find the Headmaster! Go!" The two students flinched back but ran into the school immediately to carry out his order. The professor then turned to the rest of his students. "The rest of you, except for you Miss Valliere," here he gave Louise a hard look, the poor girl trying to make herself look as small as possible, "go back to your dormitories!" His tone made absolutely no room for argument, not that any of the students were willing to disagree. The students levitated themselves back to their respective rooms, but not before giving the Valliere looks varying from snide glares, curiosity, and a bit of fear.

Satisfied, the professor addressed the pink haired girl. "You're coming with me Miss Valliere," he ordered.

Louise gulped. Why couldn't she have a peaceful, explosion-free day for once?

* * *

_The Wanderer_

The air in the Philippines was tough with all the smog from the traffic congestion that covered the main cities when he had first arrived, but Eiji Hino could not have been happier.

He had never visited the small country south of his birthplace before, but already he was immersing himself in its culture. This was the beauty of travelling; the wonderful experience of trying new things, keeping an open mind, learning about different people and cultures, and of course, helping people. Traveling the world was his life and he'd continue doing it for the rest of it. He joked to himself once that he'd end up dying of old age on a beaten off path somewhere in a forested mountain where people rarely traveled, though, he wouldn't mind if that did happen.

His current travels had brought him to a farmer's village off on the mountain steppes in Luzon. The young man wiped a bit of sweat from his forehead and stared at his handiwork. Today's part-time job was picking rice and wrapping them in bundles to be processed. Setting his latest bundle down, Eiji stretched his sore body, wincing when he felt his joints crack.

"Yosh, my quota is done!" he cheered, smiling in triumph as he walked back to the farm owner's house, eager to collect his pay.

A handing of money, a small meal of rice and fried pork, and a wave of goodbyes later, Eiji was once again on the road. He unfurled his map and checked his current position.

"I'm here right now..." he spoke aloud, placing a finger on the approximate area he was in, "so if I keep going here, I'll end up just above this town. Two days travel, at most." With a nod, he rolled up his map, put it into his pack, and walked on, humming himself a tune to pass the time.

He eventually came across a river, a wooden bridge connecting the two banks. Eiji looked at the water and then sniffed his underarm. He made a face and turned away. He really needed a bath.

Eiji traveled down the length of the river, making sure not to stray too far from the bridge. Looking around to make sure no one was near; he quickly set his pack down, undressed, and jumped into the water, cleansing himself of the sweat and stink he accumulated from his work. Fifteen minutes later, he was clean and refreshed. He walked back to his pack and pulled out a towel to dry himself. As he finished, he once again reached into his pack and pulled out, almost reverently, a pair of colorful, flower printed trousers.

"And here is today's underwear," Eiji said, eyes shining. The traveler slipped the trousers on and patted them, feeling like a new man. He reached for his pack once again to get a more proper set of clothes.

When the ground below him suddenly disappeared.

"Eh?" Eiji whimpered confusedly before the hole widened and engulfed him and his belongings.

Unbeknownst to him, a red mechanical bird with a small camera mounted on its back witnessed everything.

* * *

_The Sister_

"Is this right, Matilda?" a rather well-endowed elf girl asked a strikingly pretty woman with green hair as she stood in the middle of a large magic circle drawn on the ground.

It was midday on the forest of Westwood, the sun playfully shining through the leaves of the trees and down on a small clearing that the small cottage stood. Children, orphans that the elf girl and her sister had taken in, watched in fascination and excitement as their adopted big sisters went about their magic spell.

When Matilda had said to Tiffania that she should summon a familiar, she was at first against the idea. She had never learned how to use magic properly, even with Matilda teaching her. Strangely enough, every spell she attempted had exploded in her face, an oddity considering her lineage (luckily, it didn't prevent her from using magic infused artifacts, like her mother's ring). She was worried that the summoning spell would end up the same way, maybe even worse due to the large amount of magic involved. However, Matilda was adamant, reasoning that Tiffania would have something to protect her when the green haired woman was away at her job and that it wouldn't hurt to at least try. The worry in her surrogate sister's eyes when she said that had made the half-elf girl accept. And now here she was.

Matilda stepped around the circle, giving it a critical eye as she periodically glanced at an open book in her arm, making sure everything was in order. It was making Tiffania nervous; she had never seen her sister look so intense before. It spoke of how important the familiar summoning ritual was.

Finally, the young woman looked at the elf with a smile. "Everything is perfect, Tiffania. Well done!"

The half-elf girl smiled in relief before smiling brightly. "Thank you, sister!"

The green haired woman nodded. "But this is just the first half. Now you must channel your magic into the circle and say the incantation. And remember, say it with feeling."

Tiffania nodded and closed her eyes. She breathed deeply to calm her nerves. This was it, the moment of truth. Slowly, she raised her wand in front of her and let the magic flow. As if responding, the magic circle glowed a green, shimmering light, almost brighter than the sun.

"I, Tiffania Westwood," she began saying the words slowly and clearly, "in the name of the great Five Pentagon Powers..." she raised her wan above her head, feeling the magic run through her body and into the magic catalyst, "following my fate, summon a familiar!"

She felt the magic leave her wand, accumulate into the air above her, and form a glowing green portal. Matilda smiled proudly at the success and the children were staring with awe and delight at the display. But it wasn't over yet; the familiar to be had still yet to come through the portal. Tiffania hoped that she would get something cute, something that the children can play with, like a rabbit or a dog.

What she did not expect was a screaming man and a small bag to fall out.

Eiji landed on his back on some soft grass. He shook his head a bit to stop the swimming in his head as he slowly picked himself up. Strange, he'd been falling for a while, he was sure his landing would have broken a few bones, but he was fine. But what just happened? What was that hole? His questions stopped as his vision cleared.

The young man took in the sudden change in scenery well enough to observe his surroundings, though that did not stop the wonder and confusion plastered all over his face. He was in a forest, a beautiful one at that, like the ones in fairy tales. There was a large wooden house under a large tree a few meters away from where he was. He quickly saw the children and two women staring at him with wide eyes, noting their clothes and more European features.

'Definitely not in the Philippines anymore...' Eiji thought. He especially noted the odd pointed ears on the blonde girl in green and the older looking woman with green hair. 'Cosplay?'

It was then that he noticed that most of them were blushing, especially the blonde girl who covered her face with her hands and the green haired woman who averted her gaze.

Eiji remembered that he had nothing but his underwear on. In front of women and children.

The young man made an embarrassed sound and covered his lower body, rather comically, with his hands.

"Um..." Tiffania started, embarrassed herself that she summoned a man in his underwear of all things and even more so that he was apparently to be her familiar, "H-hello sir..."

'French?' Eiji was worried and relieved at the same time; worried that he somehow went to another part of the world and relieved that he ended up somewhere where he could actually speak their language. His grandfather loved France and often took Eiji with him during his many trips there, business or otherwise, and eventually, he came to love France as well.

"H-Hi..." Eiji responded with a slight stutter, still covering himself. His blush increased tenfold when he realized how beautiful the girl was.

The blonde girl turned to the green haired woman. "Sister, he came through the portal...is he...?"

Matilda shook her head. "I don't know. I've never heard of anyone summoning a person before."

"D-do you think the spell failed?" the blonde girl asked.

The green haired woman shook her head again. "No, it went exactly as it should have, meaning..."

The two women looked at Eiji for a moment before turning away again, faces becoming redder.

At this point Eiji's was even more confused. Summoning? Spells? It sounded like they were talking about magic... He would've been more surprised at the prospect of such a thing, but the events that occurred about a year ago, the battles he fought, facing the impossible on a daily basis had numbed him to these things. Right now, he just wanted some answers.

But before he could ask, the green haired woman spoke up. "Whoever you are, would be kind enough to put on something more presentable?"

Eiji blinked and then nodded. He was just about to do that. He didn't want to be almost naked in front of two attractive women any longer than he had to. Once they turned around, or in the children's case were ushered back into the house, Eiji reached for his bag to pull out his jeans.

"Hmph. Eiji you idiot."

The young man stopped immediately. That voice...

"All the things he's been through, and yet he still manages to find no way to get out of it. Though, I have to admit, this is different even for me..."

Eiji turned around.

An armored, red arm floated in his view.

"...A-Ankh?" The young man said, his voice barely a whisper.

"...Huh?" Though he had no eyes, he could still 'see' and he could clearly see his friend looking right at him. "Hey... you can-"

"Ankh!" Eiji yelled in complete happiness, his current state forgotten as he grabbed his friend and shook vigorously.

"HEY! LET ME GO!"

"You're alive! Ankh, you're alive!"

Of course, their reunion did not go unnoticed by the other people present.

"S-sister, is that an arm!?"

"I-I don't-"

"Ankh!"

"Dammit, Eiji! Let me go!"

"Hey! I told you to put on some clothes!"

"Huh? Oh! Ah!"

"Kya!"

And so goes the first day of Eiji Hino's (and Ankh's) time in Halkeginia.

* * *

_The Pioneer_

His evolution was going to fail. His promise to the Presenters, his dream, his ambition, his planning, time, and effort, all would be a waste.

And he knew that. He had lost to their 'friendship'. He, a man who stood above all others at the height of humanity, had lost to the bonds of a bunch of high school children.

He felt the drill pierce into the outer layer of his armor. Despite the natural resistance of his Supernova state, the Cosmic Energy fueled attack was piercing through.

'Utahoshi... is this the power of your so called 'bonds'...?'

It was strange that he'd think about the man that had come the closest to being his friend. Perhaps it was because that man was like him, someone who was destined to be above humanity, the pioneers that would lead them to meet the Presenters, the most intelligent beings in the universe. The two worked endlessly to reach that end, but after finding out that they would never meet the Presenters in their lifetime, their fallout began.

It should have ended after he had killed the man's son.

He wanted to meet them, to hear their knowledge of the universe. He didn't want to let anyone else have that privilege, and for that end, he sought to use all others to reach them. He did not care for the lives that were ended by his hand. They were merely stepping stones for his ultimate goal.

But now, it was all coming to an end because of this young upstart that prattled on about 'friendship' and by extension Utahoshi himself for designing and creating that accursed belt.

The drill had pierced the armor. He felt it on his skin. No, he didn't want to die yet. He was so close!

He let out a scream of despair.

And then he was pulled into a portal that appeared between himself and his enemy.

* * *

_The Shield_

The St. Aegis the 32nd, Pope Vittorio Serevare shielded his eyes from the sudden amount of bright color emanating from the portal.

'Such power!' The Pope thought in awe, feeling the magic coursing through the air. There was no doubt of the power that each of the familiars of Brimir held, and soon, he would be the master of one of them. In his case, he would receive the Windalfr, the one called 'The Flute of God', who is said to tame and command even the wildest of beasts.

Such ability would be beneficial for the continued safety of his beloved Halkeginia.

The Pope would be the first man to admit that his actions regarding the safety of his homeland were atrocious. The many villages he had burned, the many people he had disappear, all for the sake of protecting his land. He felt true sadness for the sins he committed, but knew full well that they were necessary. Now, during these soon to be turbulent times, even more so. The date of the calamity that he foresaw upon the mirror would soon be upon them and he needed to be prepared. Many Halkeginians will not survive it, and the rest would seek to turn themselves upon each other to take whatever meager resources would be left over from the destruction of their land.

The only way for his people to survive would be to move. Under the light of the Pope and Founder, he would lead them east to the Holy Lands and wage war with the Elves that currently occupy it. He would have to walk the path of the Founder Brimir and lead his people to salvation, even if it meant the genocide of an entire race.

And for that, he needed power.

The light eventually died down, the great walls of the Pope's golden throne room no longer reflecting the vibrant light. Knights and holy priest-mages stared at their Pope in awe. The portal disappeared and smoke replaced the light and billowed from the center of the summoning circle. All could make out the shadow of something within the smoke.

And it was coughing.

Vittorio gestured to one of his mages, "Get rid of this smoke, would you? My familiar seems to be having trouble breathing."

"Yes, your Holiness." The mage immediately cast a small wind spell and sent the smoke away.

Standing in the middle of the circle was a man, an older one, judging by his graying hair and wrinkled face. His clothes were unlike what Halkeginia has made before, but one can easily tell that he was dressed formally; an ensemble of a black jacket, waistcoat, trousers, and polished shoes, a white dress shirt underneath his waistcoat. A yellow and black cravat tied around his neck with an obsidian brooch attached on its center and on his left jacket pocket rested a bright red pocket square. The Pope furrowed his brow slightly. Where had he seen clothes like that before?

The elder man fanned away the smoke with one hand while the other clutched his chest, as if gripping a mortal wound. And then the man fell, but the Pope was upon him in a blink, catching the man before his knees touched the ground. The elder man looked at Vittorio for a moment in confusion, but smiled and nodded in thanks.

"Thank you, young man." The well dressed man said. "I don't know what you did, but you saved me." Vittorio raised an eyebrow. He had not understood a single word. The look of confusion was clearly seen by the elder man.

"Hm, of course, you do not look Japanese. How about..." and then the elder man went about speaking in several different languages that the Pope could not place. Eventually the man came across a particular one. "Can you understand me now?"

The Pope nodded. "Yes, that one I know well. It is our language."

"Hm, French? How am I suddenly in France?"

"France? You are in Halkeginia."

The elder man raised an eyebrow. "Halkeginia? I am not aware of such a place."

He did not know of Halkeginia? That was strange. Unless... the man's style of dress, the strange languages he had never heard before. He did not even recognize him, the Pope. It was then that he remembered why this man's clothing seemed so familiar. It was a common state of dress of many adult men...

...In the other world.

"You..." Vittorio began slowly, "are from Earth?"

The elder man stared at the Pope with wide eyes for a second before narrowing. "You mean to say I am on a different world? But you are human."

The Pope merely smiled and pointed to the ceiling where a glass skylight provided a view of the night sky. "We have two moons."

The elder man's eyes shot upwards, and indeed, two colored moons hovered in the night sky. "I... see." The elder man said slowly, but his thoughts were whirling. He was on an alien planet occupied by what looked like humans and was transported to it almost instantaneously.

'That portal...' He can remember for a second a strange portal appearing before him and forcing him inside. It was brimming with Cosmic Energy. The elder man looked at the blonde haired man and let out a bit of his power, small enough to go unnoticed. What he found almost made him laugh.

'Cosmic Energy! These people have Cosmic Energy!'

This was a sign from the Presenters.

A different world. Different people. All able to become Zodiarts.

And a different world meant no obstacles to keep him from his goal.

No Fourze.

The elder man slowly got his bearings, and after thanking Vittorio once again, he stood upon his own feet. He looked at the young man. "May I please have your name, young man?"

The Pope smiled. "But of course. I am Pope Vittorio Serevare, Saint Aegis the 32nd, the Shield of the Founder."

The elder man returned the smile and laughed inwardly at the man's title. Religion was such a useless thing. "And I am Mitsuaki Gamou, Amanogawa High School's school board chairman." He stopped to look at his surroundings, noting the knights in full armor and the robed priests.

'Interesting. It seems these people aren't as technologically advanced as Earth.' He thought, not seeing a firearm on the knights or an electrical powered object in sight. 'How, then, were they able to bring me here?'

"You must be quite confused," the Pope started, brushing Mitsuaki from his thoughts to look at the man, "Being summoned here so suddenly."

"Summoned?" Mitsuaki asked. "How, exactly, were you able to do such a thing?"

"Through the use of the summoning spell, an age old magic ritual that seeks out the familiar most suited to the mage and brings it to them." Vittorio replied.

"Magic?"

The Pope smiled again. "Ah, yes. Where you come from, they do not have magic."

'These people seem to think that their Cosmic Energy is something as fanciful as magic.' The former chairman thought snidely. "So, this magic is what created that portal?" he asked aloud. At the young man's nod, he chuckled. "Interesting. But how did you know that the people of my world do not have magic?"

"The Founder has blessed me with some of his gifts. Scrying being one of them." The Pope replied, his voice full of reverence for the man that made their society possible.

"I see." Mitsuaki was impressed. To have developed his Cosmic Energy so far to enable scrying upon different worlds... He'd have to try that one day. "And why is it that you called me?"

"As I've said, the summoning ritual chooses the familiar best suited to the mage."

"So it was not your intention to summon me." Mitsuaki stated with a slight smirk on his face. "You mentioned something about me becoming your familiar, yes?"

Vittorio nodded. "That is correct. Once I make a contract with you, you will become the Windalfr."

"Windalfr?"

"One of the Founder's familiars, the Flute of God, said to be able to command any beast from the smallest of mice to the largest of dragons."

That got Mitsuaki's attention. An ability like that would be beneficial for his plans. Yes, he can already see many uses for this ability; spies in the form of nondescript creatures, expendable soldiers, easy transportation. Coupled with his knowledge of Cosmic Energy...

"However, you are still not contracted to me, so you are not the Windalfr yet."

"So what are you waiting for?" The former chairman asked, hiding his eagerness.

The Pope sighed. "Well, I did not expect to receive someone from a different world, as well as someone so..."

"Old?" Mitsuaki smirked.

"... I mean no disrespect." The blonde haired man bowed his head slightly. "But this is the will of the Founder. If you are to be my Windalfr, then so be it."

"Then what are we waiting for?"

Vittorio regarded the man strangely. "You're taking all of this quite well..."

Mitsuaki merely shrugged. "I've learned to take things as they come with an open mind."

Vittorio chuckled lightly at that. "Very well. Stand still." The blonde haired man raised his staff and pointed it at the elder man's forehead. And then he spoke the words.

"Pentagram of the Five Elements, I bind this creature as my familiar."

A burning sensation erupted from Mitsuaki's right hand causing him to look at it with curiosity. The pain was nothing but the runes inscribing themselves onto his hand were quite the show. The former chairman felt the power coming from them. Soon, the inscribing finished, and the former chairman was left with the word he assumed to mean 'Windalfr' branded deep onto the back of his hand.

The Pope smiled. "Congratulations, you are now the Windalfr. I hope our partnership will benefit the future of Halkeginia."

"Partnership? I do not remember agreeing to such a thing."

The Pope did a double take. The knights and priests looked at the elder man with wide eyes, appalled that he just disregarded their Pope in such a manner.

The Pope was slightly worried, but knew the mental portion of the runes would take into effect soon to make the elder man obedient.

But what was this horrible feeling...?

"Well," Vittorio began slowly, "You have become my familiar. As such, a partnership between us is-"

"Kneel."

The Pope gasped in pain as he felt a wave of energy hitting him with the force of a punch, bringing him down onto his knees, his staff clattering onto the floor. The priests tried to rush to the side of their leader but were forced back by the same force that had their leader on his knees. The knights drew their swords.

"What did you do to his Holiness, cur!?"

"You dare strike the Founder's Shield!?"

"You will pay with your life!"

Vittorio raised his head, straining from the pain. "What did you do?"

Mitsuaki merely chuckled.

And then his eyes glowed a malicious red.

"I am the Sun. You are merely an insignificant planet that revolves around me."

One of the knights had had enough. Not only did this stranger just harm their Founder's Messenger, he belittled him! Called him insignificant! Even after his Holiness bound him to be his sacred familiar! With a yell full of rage, he charged at the elder man, his sword poised to take his life.

Black fog and lights as bright as stars filled his vision before a flaming arrow pierced his chest. He did not even have time to scream as his body was disintegrated into nothing, not leaving behind even a speck of dust.

All stared at the transformed man with great fear. What was once an elderly man was now a beast come straight out of their nightmares. It was covered from head to toe in a regal yet intimidating black armor that did not reflect any light, red and gold accents and white wings of angels covering the form. The flaming sign of Sagittarius the Archer, the bow and arrow, was emblazoned proudly on the armor's chest plate and extended down to his abdomen. On his back emanated what seemed to be a frozen flames giving the appearance of folded wings. His right forearm was enclosed by a circular gauntlet carrying stakes of silver, red, and gold metal. On his left rested a large, black and gold bow, a small line of flame creating its 'string'. The majority of his head was covered by a helmet, an aged skull making up the upper portion of the helmet, the skull's eyes glowing with the same red malevolent light as his own. A black, fan-like crown protruded from the top of the skull, red jewels embedded at its ends. A black visor framed by gold rested just below the skull's mouth, acting as his eyes. The only unarmored part of his head was his jaw, which showed ash colored skin and a mouth set permanently into a scowl.

Everyone was frozen in place, fear gripping them at the sight of the living nightmare and how easily he killed one of their knights. They could all feel the raw power that this being held.

The Pope was shaking. How could this have happened? What kind of being had he just summoned!? There was nothing in the other world like this man!

"M-Monster!" One of the knights, a leader, from the looks of the more ornate armor, yelled. "You dare strike down a man within these holy walls, and in front of his Holiness himself!? Beasts like you deserve to die!" The other knights snapped out of their fear at their leader's words. "Brothers! Would you allow this insult to our Founder continue to live!?" A resounding 'No!' was their response. "Then to arms! Mages, ready your spells! Knights, raise your swords! This beast shall pay for its crimes with its life!"

They all cheered, their morale bolstered by inspiring speech and then glared at Mitsuaki.

"Attack!" Their leader yelled, charging at the former chairman, the others following his example, all of them yelling. The mages of the group finished casting their spells and flew them at the man, ice, lightning, fireballs, and stone hurtling at him with great speed.

"No! Stop!" the Pope yelled, but it was too late.

Mitsuaki said nothing as he raised his bow to the sky and fired a barrage of innumerable flaming arrows. Like burning rain they fell upon the knights, mages, and spells, homing in on their targets as if they were alive.

Like the poor knight from before, they had no time to scream as their bodies burned away to nothing.

And now only the former chairman and the Pope remained.

Mitsuaki lowered his arm and kneeled, meeting the Vittorio's eyes with his own. Though the creature's face was scowling and made no sound, the blonde haired man could tell that he was silently laughing at him.

"What are you?" the Pope said, his tone defiant but his form shaking.

"The ultimate being. The pinnacle of human evolution." Mistuaki stated. There was no arrogance in his tone as if he was stating a natural fact.

"The pinnacle of humanity? You? You are nothing but a monster!"

The former chairman shook his head. "Alas, those who cling to the planet's surface cannot hope to understand the brilliance of stars." He then materialized his Zodiarts Switch and pressed the button, reverting him to his human form. "But you should rejoice. You have saved the life of the Sun. Therefore, you deserve a proper place in my ranks... as my most valued pawn."

"I will never serve you!" Vittorio yelled.

Mitsuaki laughed.

"You don't have a choice."

Red eyes glowed and the Pope felt a sharp pain in his head. He felt his mind attacked, unraveled, and changed. But he also felt the dark intentions of the man before him, his plans, what he intends to do.

In his last moments of consciousness, Vittorio cried.

He had sought to save Halkeginia, but all he had done was serve to accelerate its destruction.

* * *

_The Ender_

The endless void he so long desired was welcomed with as much emotion as he could muster.

None at all.

He floated in the darkness, unthinking, but content. Though he did not attain his desire to end the world from which he was birthed, this was the next best option. Nothing to worry about, no past, no future, no present; this was the ultimate peace. How long he lay floating in the void, he did not care. Nothing else was needed.

The only other thing that resided with him in this void were the mythical coins that had brought about his and their supposed destruction. Many had been destroyed when they were brought into the black hole, yes, but a few proved to be more resilient than he had thought. It seemed that only power equal to the coins could truly destroy them.

And not much can match the power that was said to be beyond infinity.

As such, the void's only sentient resident collected the trinkets that belonged to his set. Only five of the original nine survived and resided in his body now, and each fueled the wonderful feeling of nothingness.

And so he lay unmoving and would continue to do so for the rest of eternity.

His eyes shot open when he felt himself pulled into a strange glowing portal.

_Who dares disturb my ending!?_

Then he vanished...

...and so did the coins.

* * *

_The Empty_

The Mad King Joseph de Gallia stared at the strange creature in front of him.

It was a tall, humanoid thing and looked to be an amalgam of creatures he had never seen before. On its chest was the head of a three-horned monster, a golden jewel emblazoned on its forehead. Its shoulders were covered by the heads of strange long-faced creatures, their mouths like the beak of a bird, acting like pauldrons. And on its head was a terrifying sharp-toothed dragon, its mouth open as if taking a bite, revealing an almost human face. The creature's eyes were covered by a strange purple material and its silver mouth was set to a permanent frown. On its lower body it appeared to wear silver armor, but upon inspection, the armor was actually a part of the creature. A curious belt was strapped around the creature's waist, jewels as gold as the one on its chest embedded along the strap, the buckle holding a larger jewel.

Suddenly, the creature grunted and collapsed, clutching its chest. Strange silver coins fell onto the stone floor, Joseph noting that the coins came from inside the creature's body. The creature then began to speak, its voice deep and echoing, but Joseph could not make out what language it was speaking. The king made a gesture to one of his court mages and he immediately, albeit with no small amount of fear, complied by pointing his wand at the creature and muttering the words for the translation spell.

"...-injuries should have healed from my time in the void," the creature said, his words now understood by all present. "Unless time stands still within it. That might be the case. It felt like I had spent an eternity in there."

If Joseph could feel any emotion, he would've been confused. What was this creature talking about? He was trapped within the Void? It doesn't matter, right now he must finish the binding ritual. Joseph stepped toward the creature and placed his wand on its forehead.

"Pentagram of the Five Elements, I bind this creature as my familiar."

The words said and magic coursing through the wand, the runes manifested themselves upon the creature's brow with a bright flame. The creature stopped its mumblings just as the flame dissipated to reveal the freshly inscribed runes. Though the creature had no visible eyes, Joseph could feel them staring at him.

"What did you do to me?" the purple thing asked in a clipped tone.

Joseph raised an amused eyebrow. The creature should not have the capacity to question its new master after having been bound to him. But he indulged it, "I have bound you as my familiar."

"Familiar? Like a slave?"

"Of course not. A familiar is more like a servant."

"And yet I have been branded like a slave."

A smile. "So you have."

"Would I be correct to assume that you are the one who brought me here?"

"Yes, that is corre-"

Joseph found himself unable to say the rest of his sentence as his throat was gripped tight by clawed fingers. A purple visor was mere inches away from his face. The room erupted into chaos.

"You took away my ending," the creature stated, a hint of malice in his voice, even as soldiers tried to pry him off of their king to no avail. Joseph tried to gasp for air, his hands grabbing the creature's own to pry him off, but only served to strengthen the creature's grip.

The soldiers ran back as blasts of elemental spells bombarded the creature's back, courtesy of the king's court mages. Blades of air, spears of ice, slabs of stone, and torrents of fire hit the thing's back, but they had no effect, the creature barely even moving an inch.

"I was content and complete. But not anymore." The sheer apathy in the thing's voice despite being hit by numerous spells that would have killed any man, mage or no, gave rise to something deep within Joseph, but he did not know what it was.

In a lazy motion, the creature raised its free hand. In it, the thing held one of the strange coins that the king saw fell out of the creature's body and flicked it at one of the candelabras that lit the room. But it instead of the coin ricocheting away like most would have expected, the coin instead sank into a strange slot that somehow appeared on the candelabrum.

And then it changed.

What was once a candelabrum was now a creature resembling the one that currently had Joseph in its hold. It stood tall, taller than all in this room aside from its maker. It looked like a strange mix of a human and a wingless dragon, its skin redder than blood and eyes glowing like rubies. With a yell, it launched itself upon the mages and soldiers.

They stood no chance against it, whatever it was.

Screams of panic and death replaced screams of anger as the red dragon-human thing tore through the people in the room, figuratively and literally. Hope had sparked in the mages in that the creature seemed to be affected by spells, unlike it maker, but it was short lived as the red dragon-human proved to be more than capable of dodging them with its speed and natural instincts.

The purple creature continued to address the man as if nothing out of ordinary was happening, "Because of you, I must find my completeness once more. But how is the question..." He only had five Core Medals in his possession... far less than the amount needed. Perhaps he could make them? He had contemplated the creation of man-made Core Medals back when he was human...

Coins jingled in his ears from somewhere far away.

"Hmm?" The purple creature raised its head to the sky. "Did they follow me...?"

_Jingle. Jingle._

If he could smirk, he would have. "So they did."

There was a chance then, a chance to create another Medal Vessel.

"And this time, I'll make a few improvements..."

"Explosion!"

A small explosion erupted just in front of Joseph who had managed to pull out his wand as the creature was distracted by his thoughts. It had hurt the Mad King as well, being merely an arm's length away from the source, but it was a small sacrifice if it meant riding the world of this thing. If normal spells did not work, then surely a Void spell would have done the trick.

A clawed hand grabbed the king's wand arm and bent it unceremoniously, eliciting a sharp snapping noise and a scream.

"I heard them calling you a king." The creature continued, its head reared back from the force of the explosion, but still looked no worse for wear. "And a king has resources. Resources that I need."

The creature's skin seemed to disappear before Joseph's eyes revealing a pile of writhing silver coins. He noticed five in particular that were different. All were purple, just like the creature, and glowed with a malevolent light.

"Lucky for you, you get to live."

And then the coins dived into the Mad King's body. It was the most painful thing he had ever experienced in his life.

It was then that Joseph finally placed that feeling that the creature gave him just moments ago.

It was _fear_.

And then the Mad King knew no more.

* * *

**The idea for this fic came from a certain forum I frequent. I posted the idea for this and the Kamen Rider people seemed to like it, so I developed the idea. At the time, I was feeling upset that there were no good Kamen Rider crossovers with ZnT that didn't use OCs, or even ones that did use OCs but were not really thought through deeply. So I used those feelings as a push to make this. I do not mean to offend anyone with that statement and if I did, I profusely apologize.  
**

**So yeah, I had all four Void mages summon characters from a different world, some getting the shorter end of the stick than others. Canon has been thoroughly and irreparably changed, so it'll be like a whole different story with the same characters.  
**

******Planning this is gonna be one hell of a doozy. Expect really slow updates on this.**


	2. Getting Acquainted Part 1

**Ch2 - Getting Acquainted part 1**

* * *

_The Friend and The Zero_

Gentarou woke up to his pants on fire.

Fortunately, his Fourze armor could protect him from up to fourth degree burns but it did not stop him from jumping around like a madman trying to put out the flames with his hands. After patting down the last of the fire on his legs, the high-school student took a quick look at his surroundings. Varying sizes and mounds of rubble of wall and what was once stone roof were one of the noticeable objects in the room. Fire was the second, but much of it has died due to not having anything to burn; charred remnants of the carpet and some black, malformed objects and splintered wood from what used to be tables being evidence of that.

The last and most noticeable thing was a fairly long and wide area of gouged stone ending in the blackened crater he was standing in. It was then that he remembered that he was the one who did all this damage.

"Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap!" Gentarou panicked. Sure he didn't mean to destroy a building with the predicament he was in, but it was still destruction of property. The owners were sure to be more than angry and demand compensation somehow.

But unlike any other man who would bolt out of there like Godzilla was on their tail, Gentarou stayed. He was still panicking, sure, but there was no way he was going to run from taking responsibility for what he did. If he does something wrong, he fixes it! That's just the kind of guy he was.

About a minute later, an entourage of confused/upset mages and one very afraid student burst through the door- okay, walked through what was left of the door- to see a man in strange white armor attempting to prop up a table with rocks and a broken table leg. All adult mages immediately pointed their wands and staves at the man who responded by putting his hands up in the air like he was a criminal caught in the middle of a crime.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to, I swear!" Gentarou yelled out. Unfortunately, Japanese was not a common language in Halkegenia, so to the mages all he did was scream incoherent gibberish.

"What did he say? Did anyone catch that?"

"Certainly not Halkegenian, that's for sure."

"Such a barbaric tongue!"

"Translation spell! Quickly!"

"Leave it to me," said a bespectacled, balding, middle aged man as he pointed the end of his staff at the armored man and muttered the words for the spell. "Can you understand us now?" the balding man asked.

Gentarou blinked in surprise, suddenly able to understand their words. He nodded slowly. "Yeah. I do now. What was that? No, wait, actually, before that!" He dropped to his knees and bowed his head to the floor. "I'm sorry! I'm really really really really sorry about this!"

The mages looked at each other then back to the prostrating man. Many of them, including the bespectacled man, took advantage of the moment to cast a discreet 'Detect Magic' spell on him. The telltale aura of magic emanated from the armored man in waves.

'A noble,' they all thought, blanching at the repercussions. Louise had summoned a _noble_. Barring the fact that the school's worst student summoned a person and a _noble_ at that and that summoning a human was unheard of in Halkeginia's six thousand year long history, the consequences of summoning a noble would be immense, especially if the man was from a high ranking house.

They needed to act accordingly. First, they needed to apologize and explain the situation then hope to high hell that the man would understand and send him back to his country without incident. The bespectacled professor scratched the back of his head. "Well, um, that's quite all right, sir. It looked like you were having trouble when you came through."

Gentarou looked up. "Yeah! I overloaded the Switches with too much energy."

'Switches?' the more perceptive mages thought.

Gentarou continued. "Had to do it if I was gonna beat him... Wait!" The student stood up and looked around frantically. "The Chairman! Where is he!?"

"The Headmaster?" the professor asked. "He's on his way, why do you-?"

"Who? No, the Chairman! Chairman Gamou! He came through the portal with me!" At the odd looks he was receiving, he elaborated. "He's really tall, red armor, has horn thingies on his head?" He put his hands on his head and imitated horns to stress the point.

The professor shook his head. "I'm afraid that you were the only one to come through the portal."

"Really? Are you sure?" Their silence was his answer. "Oh no..." He slumped onto the floor as if a weight was suddenly placed on his shoulders. "We were so close too..." His voice was suddenly tired and weary as if he had lost all hope. "Everyone... Kengo..."

The mages looked at each other again, not sure what to do. The bespectacled professor's eyebrow knit together in an expression of sadness and understanding. He knew the white armored man's tone and gait well. He had seen it, after all, countless times on the fields of battle. He saw it in soldiers, men, women, children, of all classes a regretful past ago. In an effort to comfort the man, the professor placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Well that's fine!" Gentarou suddenly jumped up, his mood flipping right around. The professor stumbled in surprise and almost fell back. "If he got away, then I'll just have to find him again! That won't be too hard, hopefully. If I ended up here, then the Chairman must've too. We did go through the same portal." Never let it be said that Gentarou was a man who would let anything get him down for long.

The bespectacled professor stared at the man as he fixed his posture. "Y-yes, well, it's good that you aren't too upset by it."

A short but mirthful laugh was the student's response. "Weird things like this happen to me almost every week! But I have to admit this one is kind of new." He crossed his arms and tilted his head in contemplation. "I mean, hearing a voice telling me to answer to its guidance or something then having a weird portal pop up in front of my final attack, and then getting thrown out into this place just came outta nowhere!"

"Final attack? You mean that light and the strange appendages on your limbs?"

Gentarou sighed. "Yeah, my Rider Rocket Drill Kick. It actually would have ended things right there if... well..."

The gathered mages gave Louise a look. The girl seemed to shrink into herself.

"Why were you fighting this Chairman, if you do not mind me asking?" The bespectacled man asked. It was a simple question, but the answer would reveal far more than what he was asking. What warranted the use of such power that was able to destroy wards and enchantments that have stood fast for centuries like paper for use against one man?

The armored man stared for a moment before sighing heavily. "Chairman Gamou... he ran my high school and also turned out to be the leader of an evil group called the Zodiarts. Me and my friends have been fighting against them for uh... for almost a year."

"Evil you say...?" the professor asked with trepidation.

"Yeah," was the melancholic reply, "well, actually, I wouldn't call it evil, just misguided. He turned his own students into monsters so he could evolve past humanity or whatever, and if we didn't stop him, he would have destroyed the entire country and maybe even the world."

Many of the assembled mages had looks of incredulity on their faces. Surely he was exaggerating! Only the Founder Brimir could boast the power he was suggesting this Chairman had. But... the power he displayed earlier, even the densest of them had to admit that whoever this Chairman was, fighting him required power on par with a Square Class mage if the ease with which he broke the wards was any indication.

"A lot of my friends were hurt because of him." He added solemnly.

The professor had a pained look on his face, realizing what the summoning had taken this man away from. "You were in a decisive battle against the enemy's leader... and we took you away from it." He gave the only student in the group of teachers a discreet look. The other teachers however, were not so discreet with their stares.

Louise shrank even further.

But to their surprise, the knight just laughed again. "Nah, don't feel too bad. You probably didn't know that the portal would get me. When that voice said that it was looking for a 'familiar somewhere in the universe', it probably didn't know that the universe is a HUGE place, trust me! And like I said before, I can just find the Chairman and kick his butt again."

The bespectacled man stared at him with a strange look. "You're not worried about him getting away?"

The Kamen Rider shrugged. "Well, it's true that I gotta find him quick, but I don't even know where to start. Heck, I don't even know where I am. The good thing is that the Chairman should still be pretty weak from our fight, so I'm not too worried about him starting anything too soon, but I'm sure he's already planning to get the Zodiarts up and running again. But I've learned to take stuff as they come. If I get worried, then my friends get worried, and that's the last thing I want."

"I... see, I think." The professor furrowed his brow. The armored man was very strange. He was just about to defeat his mortal enemy and end a long battle only to have the finishing blow taken away from him and he just laughs it off and doesn't blame them? There were no lies or malice in his tone either; it wasn't hard to see how honest the man was. What an unbelievably magnanimous individual. The professor doubted anyone else could be as generous and kind.

"Y-You're not angry?" All eyes turned to the littlest Valliere, a confused and ashamed look in her eyes. She had hoped to summon something beautiful, sacred, and powerful, and she got her wish. But as if the Founder was against her, she summoned not a magical beast, but a human! And what's worse was that it was a man clad in magical white armor like the noble heroes of literary fantasies in what was supposed to be the end of a yearlong battle with his mortal enemy! What had she done? She had taken away his and his allies' victory and gave his enemy the chance to regroup and renew whatever it is the enemy was doing! By all rights the man should be angry! But he was just dismissing it? Just like that? If it were her in his shoes, she would have exploded figuratively and literally.

Despite the helmet covering his entire head Louise felt that the man was giving her a confused look. "Of course not. I just said that, didn't I?"

But Louise couldn't accept it. "But you, I mean... you were just in an important battle, right?! You were about to beat someone who you said made many people suffer but-"

"Ah!" The knight yelled suddenly, startling everyone in the room. The man's arm jutted forward, his finger pointing dramatically at the girl. "Your voice! You're the voice I heard in my head! The one that was calling me!"

Louise felt her stomach fall.

Before anyone could respond, the knight walked past the mages and stopped in front of Louise, his imposing form staring down at her. The scared girl could only stare up at those large orange eyes that seemed to scrutinize her whole being. Some of the mages who were still unsure if the armored man was a threat or not, prepared spells under their lips. The bespectacled professor himself slipped in to a small fighting stance. Had he judged the man too soon?

Gentarou raised a hand. Louise flinched and shut her eyes. The teachers finished their casting and were ready to throw their spells.

And then nothing.

A long silence past before Louise slowly opened her eyes and saw the man just standing with his hand held out to her.

"Well c'mon!" The armored man exclaimed, breaking the silence. "You too!"

Louise looked at the man's expecting eyes and back to his hand. Did he want to shake her hand? She gulped, raising her own shaking hand to clasp his. But before she could react, the man took her hand into his own and went into a short series of movements the Louise had trouble following, but recognized.

'A... a secret handshake?' she thought, recalling her childhood days with Henrietta and the handshake they made for themselves as a sign of their eternal friendship.

With one final bump of his fist atop hers, he put his hands on his hips in triumph. "Yosh! From now on you're my friend, uh... what was your name again?"

"L-Louise. Louise Francoise le Blanc de la Valliere," she answered tentatively. "Wait, what do you mean by 'friend'?"

"Well, you summoned me right? To be your familiar?" he replied. "Now, I don't exactly what that is, but I heard Tomoko talking about them. They're supposed to be like animal friends right? I'm not an animal myself but, I'll be happy to be your friend! And even better, you're the first friend I made outside of Japan! This is awesome!"

The other occupants stared at him with incredulous eyes. This man's personality was nothing like they've ever encountered before.

"Anyway, Louise, I should introduce myself properly. Gimme a sec."

Everyone watched as the armored man flipped four red switches on his belt, each one giving off a strange sound. A red light shined from the center of his belt and a strange, circular thing appeared and rose above his head followed by colored lights and expelling mist which covered the room, forcing the mages to cover their eyes, Louise having to step back a little from the pressure. But just as quickly as the lights and mist appeared, they were gone. They lowered their arms and their eyes widened in surprise.

Standing in place of the knight was a young man. He was quite tall, towering most of the mages at about six feet. He wore pure black pants, shoes and a jacket that appeared too small for him over a red shirt, clothes that a commoner would wear. His hair was completely black, an unusual color in Halkeginia, and done up in a ridiculous style they were unfamiliar with, appearing to be unruly, likely due to his battle. Blood and bruises covered his face, but did nothing to diminish the brilliant smile on his face.

"My name's Kisaragi Gentarou. The man who's gonna become friends with everyone in Amanogawa High School and... wherever this place is!" He declared, pumping a fist to his chest.

Open mouthed stares were the response he got. They expected a seasoned warrior under that armor not a young man! He looked like he was barely into his twenties!

"Excuse me, young man, but how old are you?" The bespectacled man asked. He just had to know.

Gentarou turned around to face the man. "I'm eighteen years old! Third year of high school." he said with a smile.

The teachers were surprised yet again, Louise even more so. Gentarou was only a year older than her and he was already more powerful than most of her classmates! Did that mean that as his summoner she was powerful too?

The professor himself was highly impressed. Barely into adulthood and the teen was already quite strong. It was a shame that he was introduced to war at such a young age. Not like he could talk; he started his military career at the age of fifteen.

"By the way, you were the first one to talk to me but I never got your name," The Gentarou asked.

The professor smiled a bit embarrassedly. "It's Colbert. Jean Colbert."

The knight flashed him a smile. "Awesome! Nice to meet you Col-"

"MY TOWER!"

Everyone turned to see a wet old man in a bath robe carrying a long wooden staff staring in disbelief at the ruined treasury. Disbelief turned to anger as he caught sight of Gentarou.

"Headmaster!" Colbert exclaimed. "You're finally here now we-"

The elder man ignored the professor. "Did you do this!?" he screamed, pointing his staff at the high school student.

Gentarou gulped nervously. "Um, yes, I'm really-!"

That was all the old man needed as he closed the distance between them with surprising speed and an outraged yell, ignoring the yells from the teachers for him to stop. With rage in his eyes, the old man raised his staff and brought it down on the young man's head who could only yell in panic and fear.

Gentarou teetered humorously for a few seconds, muttering something about galaxies, before falling flat on the floor unconscious.

"That'll teach you to destroy my treasures you little punk!" the headmaster huffed in triumph. He looked up to see everyone staring at him with horror on their faces. "What? Did I do something wrong?"

* * *

**Okay. I do apologize for making you all wait so long and for such a small part. I did say I would update slowly. As always, please leave some comments or critiques.**


	3. Getting Acquainted Part 2

Well, hello again! It's been a while. I profusely apologize for the wait.

Now, let me address a few things before we start, namely, the Kamen Rider series. It's come to my attenion that some people reading this story may not have any knowledge of Kamen Rider. So here is some second hand information about Kamen Rider. Instead of directing you all to the wiki like a lazy good for nothing, I'm gonna do this the old fashioned way. I won't be going over too much info at one time, just the bare bones of what you need to know or stuff that shows up in a particular chapter.

Kamen Rider is a long running series of tokusatsu (literally means 'special filming' for its considerable use of special effects) that started in 1971 and is still ongoing to this day. They're quite a hit, each individual series having a couple movies to their name. I'm not gonna get into all of them as the important ones right now are Fourze and OOO, the two series involved in this story.

**Kamen Rider Fourze**

Riders appearing in the series: Fourze, Meteor, Nadeshiko

Kamen Rider Fourze (pronounced Four-zeh) is themed around the ever expanding universe, switches, school, four, and anything to do with space and space exploration. This is the Kamen Rider franchise's 40th anniversary series and it shows in the title; Four-Ze = Four Zero.

The main character is a high-schooler named Gentarou Kisaragi, the friendliest guy you will probably ever meet, if he were real. The guy holds his friends to the highest level, prioritizing friendship above all else. By the time the series started, he had made over 1000 friends whom he keeps regular contact with. He will literally do anything to become your friend.

Gentarou, due to some events, becomes Kamen Rider Fourze, a space themed Kamen Rider that uses the power of Cosmic Energy, the power of the ever-expanding universe, to combat monsters called Zodiarts and the group that creates them, the Horoscopes.

Kamen Rider Fourze uses the power of Astroswitches, small devices that are powered by Cosmic Energy. There are many of them, but Fourze has access to 40 Switches, each having a different kind of item with special properties ranging from offensive items, such as a missile launcher or a chainsaw blade, to supportive, such as a shield or set of wheels, to the down right odd, like a giant faucet or a pen. The Switches attach to one of his appendages, depending on the Switch.

**Kamen Rider OOO **

Riders appearing in the series: OOO, Birth

This one is the series that preceded Fourze. OOO (pronounced "Ohs") takes its theme from infinite desire, medals, three, and kings. The way OOO is pronounced is the same as the Japanese way of saying 'king'; Ou. The way it's written is also the Infinite symbol with an 'O' at the end, symbolizing the limitless power of desire.

The main character is Eiji Hino, a son of a wealthy politician. However, Eiji is a wanderer, choosing to live the life of a vagabond that travels from country to country with nothing but spare underwear for tomorrow. Due to a certain event in his past, Eiji developed a unique circumstance in which he had absolutely no desire and was willing to help anyone in need, even so far as risking himself for strangers.

When he returns to Japan to fund more of his travels, he meets Ankh, a floating, red demon hand, who, after some life-threatening circumstances, gives him the OOO Driver which allows him to transform into Kamen Rider OOO. As OOO, Eiji combats the Greeed (always spelled with three 'E's'), homunculi created 800 years ago that have broken from their seal.

Eiji uses Core Medals as his power source. Core Medals are small, colored coins that hold the essences of animals. There are a total of seven full color sets of three medals each and they all have an animal motif; Green (Insects), Yellow (Felines), Red (Birds), Gray (Heavy Mammals), Blue (Marine Animals), Purple (Dinosaurs), and Orange (Reptiles). The Medals power three different sources on Eiji's body at a time, the Head, Torso, and Legs.

And that's it for now! The story resumes!

* * *

_The Sister and The Wanderer_

"... and that's it." Matilda finished with a deep sigh. She had just gone through explaining the details of the Familiar Summoning Ritual to the man, Eiji Hino, after some dressing up and short introductions. They all sat inside the modest two-room cottage around a small table, the children curiously peeking at them by the bedroom door. Tiffania hugged herself, apologetic eyes darting to him and back to the floor.

"So I was summoned to be her familiar...?" He pointed a shaky finger at the blonde haired girl who couldn't meet his eyes. The green haired woman nodded.

"Feh," the floating arm, Ankh, scoffed. "Only a year and you've got yourself stuck in another crazy contract."

"But at least this one was actually honest with me right from the start unlike yours," the young man deadpanned.

"Tch."

Matilda raised an eyebrow. "You two are in a familiar contract? I thought you two were friends?"

"Hell no! I ain't a damn pet!" Ankh exclaimed angrily.

"Ankh! Don't curse; there are kids here!" Eiji scolded. Ankh scoffed and turned away. Eiji turned back to the green haired woman and bowed his head apologetically. "Sorry about him. He's always like that. And no, it's not a familiar contract. The contract is... it's a long story."

"I see," Matilda said, "I won't pry, but I will expect an explanation about what exactly your friend is." She gave a slightly uncomfortable look at the floating arm. "It's not common to meet a floating, talking, monster-like appendage."

Eiji chuckled lightly. "Believe me, I was freaked out too. You'll get used to it."

"Not my fault I ended up like this," grumbled the arm.

"And actually, that's another thing, Ankh." Eiji's brows furrowed. "How are you... well..."

"Visible?" the arm finished.

The wanderer's eyes widened in confusion. "Visible? No, I was going to say alive, but what do you mean 'visible'? I thought you..." his eyes fell to the floor. "... died."

Matilda and Tiffania stared at the floating appendage in surprise.

"I did," Ankh responded bluntly, widening the two women's eyes.

"But that shouldn't be possible right? Here, look." Eiji dug into his pocket and pulled out the still broken halves of the Taka Medal, the only Medal to come out semi-intact after their final battle. "It's still broken."

"Yeah, I know." The arm hummed. "I don't know why it is that you can see me now, or why I'm even solid."

"Solid?"

Ankh flicked his wrist, a motion Eiji knew as his way of nodding. "Yeah. You were able to touch me even though I didn't have a single Cell Medal in me. Ya didn't notice?" At Eiji's shaking head, Ankh scoffed. "Still as dense as ever."

"Hey!" Eiji exclaimed with annoyance at his friend's rudeness. There was a smile on his face though; it was good to have his friend back, rudeness and all.

"Wait," Eiji said slowly, realizing something, "have you been following me this whole time?"

"I had to. You have my Medal." Ankh said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"So you're the reason why I've had this weird feeling that I was being watched the whole time." Eiji stared at Ankh with suspicion. "You didn't follow me to the bathroom did you?"

If Ankh could splutter, he would have. "What the hell, Eiji!?"

"It's a legitimate question!" Eiji stressed. "Now the past year feels weird now that I know you've been following me like a ghost..."

"And I said that I didn't have a choice!" Ankh fired back. "Even if the Taka Medal is broken, it's still me! I can't move too far from that thing! And no! I do not follow you into the bathroom! The things you humans do in there make me sick!"

Eiji narrowed his eyes and stared for a moment longer before bursting out into laughter. "I'm kidding, Ankh!"

"WHAT!?"

"Well, you set yourself up for it. I couldn't help it, I'm sorry!"

"WHY YOU-!"

"Okay, stop." Matilda said loudly, forcing the two friends to face her. "I know I said that I wouldn't pry into your past, but you two are making it very difficult." She really wanted to know more about what kind of life the two men (if the arm could be called a man) led. Especially about that arm that was apparently born from a coin. She doubted she would ever get used to its presence. But she'll quell her curiosity for later. "Let's get back to the task at hand, shall we?"

Eiji scratched the back of his head sheepishly muttering an apology as he nodded while Ankh grunted.

The green haired woman cleared her throat. "Now then, I've explained to you the familiar contract. Normally, we'd just complete it, but that was in the case of an animal or magical creature being summoned."

"And I'm not an animal," Eiji said.

Matilda nodded. "And that is the problem. You are a sentient human being. And what's more, you were taken away from wherever it is you come from unwillingly."

"I'm truly sorry, Mr. Hino." Tiffinia said softly. She was finally able to look him in the eye without flinching away, but looked like she was about to burst into tears.

"Ah, it's alright," Eiji replied placatingly. "It wasn't your fault; Miss Matilda did say that the summoning thing chooses the familiar, not the caster..."

"That's the strange thing." Ankh spoke up. "Why did it choose Eiji?" The question was asked not because he wanted to know why, he already had a good guess as to why Eiji was chosen, but it was meant to get one of the women to elaborate on the nature of the ritual.

It was the green haired woman that spoke up. "A familiar's duty is to aid their master in any way possible."

"And what do these duties amount to exactly?" the arm asked.

"Well, first and foremost, a familiar is meant to protect his master." Matilda answered.

"So a bodyguard then..." Ankh mumbled. So he was right then; what better way to be protected than by having a Kamen Rider by your side? 'However,' Ankh thought, 'Eiji can't assume the form of OOO without the Medals.' After their final battle with Maki, all of the Medals, save his own broken one, were sucked into the black hole created from the force of the Medal Vessel. 'The only time magic makes a mistake is if the caster was an idiot, and these two knew exactly what they were doing. So why did it call Eiji who is little better than a combat trained human now?'

Eiji smiled. "Protecting? That, I can do. If there's anything I'm good at, it's protecting people."

"Really?" Matilda said skeptically, "No offense, but you don't look too strong..."

Eiji only laughed as he scratched the back of his head. "I get that a lot. But don't worry, I'm a pretty good fighter. My grandpa kind of forced me into learning a bit of martial arts."

Matilda was about to ask what 'martial arts' were, but was interrupted by Ankh saying, "Anything else a familiar should be doing, woman?"

Matilda glared at the arm for calling her 'woman' before her furrowing her brow in thought. "Other duties include finding natural reagents for certain spells and potion making... which I doubt you're capable of doing, no offense," she said, looking at Eiji.

"I don't know what reagents are, but I'm good at finding edible plants and hunting small animals," the man replied. Having 'roughed it out', putting it lightly, with his grandfather in places like the Brazilian Rainforest or the Savannas, Eiji was more than capable of finding his own food when he didn't have money or when he was nowhere near a city.

"Really?" Tiffania exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "That's wonderful! The orphanage is in a bit of a food crisis right now, we could use your expertise! That is if you don't mind..."

Eiji smiled at her. "Of course not, I'd be happy to help."

Tiffania beamed.

Ankh scoffed at the exchange and gestured to Matilda. "Anything else?"

"The familiars share senses with their master, meaning whatever they see, the master can see, whatever they hear, the master can hear, and so on," the green haired woman answered.

Eiji grew uncomfortable at that. "That's a bit..."

"What's wrong?" The green haired woman asked.

"Well..." Eiji started with a hint of a blush on his cheeks, "will I be able to tell when that happens and cancel it? I mean what if I'm doing something private like taking a bath or putting my clothes on...?"

The two women blushed. Tiffania resumed counting the floorboards as Matilda coughed into her hand.

"Y-yes, that is a problem," Matilda stuttered, "We'll need to establish some rules should you decide to go through the contract, but do not worry; Tiffania is not the kind of woman to-" she coughed into her hand again, "-peep. She... has never interacted with grown men before, at least for as long as you have."

"Never talked to other men before?" Eiji asked rhetorically, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. It certainly explained why she was so nervous around him, but surely she would have a few friends her age. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I kind of expect a lot of guys would be dying to get to know you, Ms. Tiffania. You have many desirable traits that men want." He finished, doing his best to keep his eyes above the blonde's neckline.

The girl smiled. "You think so? I'd love to make new friends but..." her eyes drooped. "... i can't leave the forest..."

The traveler's brows furrowed. "Why not? Is there something wrong?"

The two females exchanged glances in a silent conversation. Matilda nodded and Tiffania bit the bottom of her lip in worry. Slowly, the two looked back at the man and arm.

"I'm a half-elf, Mr. Hino," Tiffania said, her eyes downcast as Eiji's own widened. The girl touched her ears with a hand. "My mother was an elf and my father was a nobleman."

Eiji stared for a moment before asking, "You mean you're not dressed up in an elf costume?"

"N-no." she replied, shaking her head. Is that why he didn't run away at the first sight of her when she summoned him?

"Really, Eiji? A costume?" Ankh said in a deadpan. "It was stupid obvious that she was a different kind of being. Can't you feel the magic coming off of her?"

"Ankh, I'm a human. I can't do that." The young man replied flatly causing the arm to huff. "But a half elf, huh...?" Eiji stared at the blonde girl. A good look showed how obvious it was that she was an elf; her pointed ears that looked far too real, her almost unnaturally straight blonde hair, that perfect face that models would kill to have, her incredible kindness, her huge... eyes. She was like the elves from fairy tales that his grandfather used to read to him when he was little. 'But I never knew there were elves in France...'

Tiffania's eyes avoided Eiji as she wilted under his gaze. She knew how people reacted when they saw an elf; with immense fear and great hatred. She still had nightmares of that day so many years ago... She didn't want that to happen again, not to anyone, especially not to the kids and her sister.

What if they reacted like everyone else did? She didn't want that. Eiji and Ankh were the first people she met who came from outside of the forest that weren't kids, not that she didn't enjoy the company of the children. She just wished she had someone like her sister to talk to. She had only just met them, but already she didn't want them to fear her.

Matilda glanced at her sister then back to the two men, wand gripped tight under her sleeve. Founder's traditions or not, if they were to lash out at Tiffania, then she would do everything in her power to protect her and the children. Eiji seemed nice, but everyone always changed when Elves were mentioned. The moment the react in a way that didn't sit well with her, she won't hold back.

Finally, after a tense minute, Eiji crossed his arms and smiled. "Well, uh, I've never met any elves before, but first time for everything, right Ankh?" The arm in question grunted in the affirmative.

The two women blinked. "Y-you two aren't scared of me?" Tiffania asked, her voice quivering. Could this be real? People who aren't scared of her?

Eiji's eyebrows rose and made to speak, but Ankh cut him off.

"Why would I be scared of you, girl?" Ankh said bluntly. "You don't look like you can harm an ant much less someone like me."

Eiji sighed exasperatedly, but smiled. "What Ankh means to say is that you don't look like the kind of person that would warrant people to be afraid of you," he said with honest eyes. "I mean, not only are you really beautiful-" Tiffania blushed heavily at the compliment, "-but you were also kind enough to help out two complete strangers and take in all these kids."

"M-Mr. Hino..."

"It's the kind of thing that this idiot would do." Ankh said, jabbing a thumb at the man. "You two are a bit alike, now that I think about it." He added, recalling how Eiji risked his own life to save him after having just met.

"You think so, Ankh?" Eiji asked with a raised eyebrow. When the arm just huffed and refused to elaborate, Eiji rolled his eyes and looked at the half-elf girl. "I don't mind that you're a half-elf. I've met a lot of different races and experienced a lot of different cultures, but the people weren't so different from each other. They were all kind just like you." He smiled widely.

Tiffania stared at the man and arm before slowly breaking out into a wide smile. Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes as she said with a shaking voice, "You really don't care?" Eiji shook his head and her tears fell. "T-Thank you," she said, cupping her face with her hands as her body shook. The children immediately rushed from into the room and hugged her.

"Big-sis, don't cry! Why are you crying?" one of them, a small girl, asked.

"Because I'm so happy," she replied, her voice cracking slightly. "I think I made a new friend!"

The young man smiled at her before sighing and turning to the green haired woman. "Ms. Matilda, elves aren't treated kindly here, are they?" he asked with sad eyes.

The woman sighed sadly, hands clenching from the memories the question brought up. "Elves are considered a heretical race that stands for everything the people here are against. Usually, they are feared due to their greater proficiency with magic. However, if given the chance, they and anyone associated with them would be eliminated."

Eiji connected the dots from that last statement. "I see... so your parents..."

Matilda nodded slowly. "I'm her only family left."

Shingo and Hina popped up in the young man's mind; two other siblings who only had each other. He couldn't imagine what it was like to lose your parents. For a while, they only did have each other until he, Ankh, Gotou, Date, and Chiyoko came into their lives. Of course it started out... shaky (finding out that an eight-hundred year-old homunculus was possessing your brother and was also the only reason keeping said brother alive was a tough pill to swallow), but they eventually came to care for each other as friends and later as a kind of weird extended family.

"Family..." Eiji looked at the half-elf girl and the green haired woman then to the children. These sisters made themselves a little family too. "She doesn't have just you, Ms. Matilda. She has them." He paused, internally debating his next words, but nodded his head as he came to a decision, "...and she has me and Ankh now."

Ankh scoffed, quietly mumbling, "predictable". Matilda and Tiffania stared at Eiji with wide eyes, the blonde's shining with hope. "You don't mind being Tiffania's familiar?" Matilda asked.

Eiji shook his head and looked at her with resolute eyes. "Taking care of this many kids is hard work. I know; I've helped out in orphanages before. It's even harder because there are only two older people here and one of them can't leave..." They only had one person able to work to provide for several mouths and Tiffania mentioned that they were in a food crisis. "You went through all the trouble of summoning me and I can't just leave you all alone after hearing your situation; I never abandon anyone in need of help. If I do, I'll regret it for the rest of my life."

"You really, really don't mind Mr. Hino?" Tiffania asked with wonder, "What about your family? Won't they be worried?"

Eiji grimaced. "They might, but I'm not at home much anyway; I'm a traveler at heart."

"Even if that's the case, you're really sure?" Matilda added. "Being a familiar is a lifetime commitment. The moment you seal the contract, you must stay by her side as her familiar."

The young man waved her off. "If that's what it takes, then I'm fine with it. Like I said earlier, I'm already in a kind of a lifetime contract with Ankh."

The older woman looked at Eiji for any hints of doubt, but after finding nothing but resolution, she sighed. "Very well." She smiled. "Thank you, Eiji. You've no idea how much this means to us."

Eiji grinned. "It's no problem." He glanced at his floating friend. "Unless you have any objections, Ankh?"

The arm just huffed. "Feh, like I have a choice, Eiji; you have my Medal. I'm stuck with you whether I like it or not."

"Alright," Eiji chuckled. "So, how do we complete the contract, Ms. Matilda? Do I sign something or...?"

The woman shook her head. "Oh, no, it's nothing like that. In order to complete the Familiar Summoning Ritual, well..." her eyes darted between her sister and the young traveler who stared at her expectantly. Matilda took a deep breath before answering. "You need to kiss her. On the lips."

A long moment of silence passed as everyone processed the information.

Ankh was the first to react with a scoff.

The children gasped then dissolved into disgusted sounds from boys and romantic cooing from the girls.

A strong blush appeared on Tiffania's cheeks as she went back to avoiding Eiji's eyes as much as possible.

Eiji shot up from his chair, eyes wide and sporting a blush almost as red as the half-elf girl's. "A k-k-kiss? T-that's how you seal the contract!?"

Matilda nodded. "I'm not too keen on it either, but it's how it's always been. It's tradition."

Eiji turned his head to Tiffania who's beauty suddenly seemed even more apparent. "I-I have to kiss her?"

Ankh gave his friend a quick flick to the head. "You heard her. Hurry up and do it Eiji."

The traveler rubbed the back of his head and exclaimed, "A-Ankh, I can't!"

"What? You gonna go back on your word?"

"No! Never!"

"Then what the hell is wrong?"

"Well..." The grown man twiddled his fingers like a schoolgirl with a crush. "I've never kissed a girl before..." Matilda put a hand to her lips to cover a giggle while Tiffania blushed even harder.

"You mean you haven't kissed your mom before?" Ankh deadpanned.

Eiji glared at his friend. "You know what I mean!"

Tiffania timidly raised a hand. "Um... If it helps, Mr. Hino, I've never kissed a boy either..."

Ankh snorted. "See? You two are in the same boat."

"That's even worse!" Eiji exclaimed, flapping his arms wide. "That means that... I'll be taking her first kiss... and I, I just can't! There has to be another way!"

"Eiji, listen to me," Ankh said, sounding strangely like a wise father teaching his son, "a kiss is just a disgusting swap of spit that you humans somehow relate to romantic crap. Just think of it like that and you won't have a problem." Before Eiji could retort, Ankh grabbed the hem of his poncho and dragged him with surprising force in front of the blonde girl. "Now finish the contract!"

The traveler stood shaking in front of the girl, looking to all the world like a nervous teenage boy asking the most popular girl in high school out. "Um..." he said intelligently.

Tiffania took a deep breath and stood up, barely coming up to Eiji's shoulders. She willed herself to look at Eiji's eyes. "I'm really sorry, um, about this."

"Ah, no, there's nothing to apologize for. You didn't know." Eiji scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously. "So uh, how are supposed to start?"

"It helps if you close your eyes," Matilda advised.

The two nodded and did as they were told. Then slowly, they inched their faces closer and closer. They felt each other's warm breaths tickling their faces and almost turned away, but they pressed on. The children watched with wide anticipating eyes, even the boys. Matilda gripped her sleeve and bit her lip. Ankh flexed his fingers impatiently.

Finally, only a few scant centimeters separated their lips. Eiji gulped. Tiffania blushed harder.

And then Ankh had enough. "Damn it! Hurry up!" he yelled before slapping Eiji's back, forcing the young man to balance himself by grabbing the blonde girl's shoulders, but the arm's objective was done.

Their eyes shot open as the sensation of soft warmth enveloped both their lips. Time seemed to slow down as the stood there with their lips locked.

It was... nice.

And then the moment was over. Eiji quickly pulled back in embarrassment muttering apologies to Tiffania and glaring death at Ankh. The half-elf girl touched her lips with her fingers, still shaken from the kiss as her sister put her hands on her shoulders.

"Now then," Matilda announced, looking at Eiji. "The Familiar Runes should appear on your body."

Eiji nodded as he straightened himself. "Okay, um, how will I know when they-"

Pain erupted from his chest, causing him to stumble back. Light shone through his clothes as he felt something burned into his skin. He screamed. The others rushed to him immediately. Eiji could see them yelling at him, but he couldn't make out their words or their features. The burning intensified and he screamed again.

And then darkness.

* * *

Please be kind enough to leave a review. I like to see how I'm doing, things that need to be fixed, etc.


	4. Getting Acquainted Part 3

Here ya are.

**Ch2 - Getting Acquainted part 3**

* * *

_The Friend and The Zero_

Gentarou woke from unconsciousness for the second time that day. This time though he was lying on a comfortable bed and he wasn't on fire. He rose slowly, wincing a little as he rubbed his sore head, and scanned his surroundings.

The room was quite spacious. Several white beds lined his side of the room separated by drawn-back curtains. The other side was a desk with some glass beakers, test tubes filed with some strange colored liquids, strange plants that Gentarou had never seen before, and a few opened books. A wooden bookcase stood next to the desk with stacks of books sitting around it, as the bookcase was already full.

"Looks kinda like the nurse's office." He mumbled to himself with a little laugh. He and Ryuusei ended up in Amanogawa High's version more times than he could count. They usually had to sneak in afterschool or else they had to find an excuse that the nurse would believe. Luckily, that ended when they got the Medical Switch to work. The Cosmic Energy filled syringe was as good as an entire hospital!

"You're awake!" A feminine voice next to him announced. Gentarou turned to source of the voice and saw a head of pink hair. He smiled.

"Louise! Hey!" he greeted with a little wave and a bright smile. "Uh, how long have I been out?"

"Only a few hours, luckily." She answered. "Wait right here, Sir Knight! I have to go tell the professors!" The girl stood up from her seat and made her way to the door. "They're just in the next room, so it won't be long!"

"Huh? Hey wait-!" But the girl had already gone from the room, her quick steps fading off. "Sir Knight?" Gentarou asked himself before shrugging, amused. Resolving to stretch his legs a little, he lifted the white blanket off his body and pushed himself off the bed and onto his feet. Stretching a little, Gentarou noticed that his body was pain-free aside from his slightly sore head, and even that was slowly fading.

"Whatever the nurse did sure worked great." Gentarou marveled as he placed his hands on his waist. That's when he noticed that a familiar weight feeling was missing. "The belt!" he exclaimed with panic, turning around several times as his eyes scanned the room.

"Something amiss, Sir Gentarou?" said a middle aged voice.

Snapping out of his short panic, Gentarou turned to the voice and was greeted by Louise, Colbert, a few other teachers, and, to his horror, the old man (now donning a full, flowing robe) who whacked him. Like any other sane man who had the displeasure of having something scary suddenly thrown into his face, he screamed and ducked under the nearest object he could find.

"... I told you he would do something like that when you came in, Headmaster." Colbert deadpanned, staring at the teen who peeked up fearfully from behind the bed with some sympathy. "You really should have thought before you acted..."

The Headmaster coughed into his hand. "Yes, well, how else would you react when you see over half of the Academy's treasures lying in flaming ruin?"

"I felt horrified," The professor admitted with frown. Oh, the delicious amount of research, studying, and discovery... all gone forever. It would have brought a tear to his eye had he not quickly dispelled the thoughts. "But I handled the situation with diplomacy and a sense of common decency."

"Bah! I'm willing to bet a few ecu that you were on the verge of turning your staff on him as well!"

"Now see here-!"

As the older men argued, much to the exasperation of the other teachers, Louise had slipped out of the group and walked behind Gentarou's hiding spot.

"Is he gonna hit me again?" the male student asked shakily as the girl stopped beside him.

"No, no." she replied, shaking her head, "we've explained that what happened with the tower was an accident and that you apologized." The girl crossed her arms and huffed and mumbled "Really, you would think that as the Headmaster, he would have handled the situation like a civilized member of nobility, not like some senile old man."

"... So it's safe to come out?"

The nod she gave him was reassuring and rested his fear of wooden staves and weird-bearded old men. Flashing his new friend a grateful smile, he stood up to his full height, an action that didn't go unnoticed by the teachers. Gentarou smiled his patented 'I wanna be friends with you' smile, though still wary of the Headmaster.

"Hi, uh, sorry about that scream," the male student laughed, "Oh, and thanks for carrying me over here after the... well, you know."

The Headmaster coughed shamefully into his hand. "I apologize profusely for my slight-" Colbert elbowed him. The older man gave the professor a glare who just shrugged before sighing. "Alright, my _grave _misunderstanding of the situation and coming to conclusions so quickly."

Gentarou beamed. "Nah, it's cool. It was kinda my fault your room got busted, anyway. Besides, I have a hard head!" He knocked his fist on his temple for emphasis. "I'm already fine, see!"

The Headmaster raised an eyebrow, amused. It was as Colbert and the teachers said; this... Kiserragi Gentah-roo was indeed an honest and magnanimous man, a breath of fresh air compared to many nobles of Tristain with their political manipulations and self serving attitudes. As a knight from a kingdom, country, or continent called 'Japan', he could have escalated this into a diplomatic incident and either force Tristain to pay for their slight or use it to break the fragile state of peace in Halkeginia, where any number of possibilities could rise. He didn't know how powerful this 'Japan' was, but if they could produce a Square Class Mage as young as this man before him, then they were a force he did not want to instigate. "So you are willing to forget this entire incident?"

"No, of course not!" Gentarou replied eagerly as the Headmaster's, as well as the other teachers' and Louise's, face fell.

'Damn, I knew it wouldn't be easy. I guess Colbert was wrong.' The Headmaster thought worriedly. With a sigh, he said, "Well, what is -"

"I mean, I broke the tower, least I could do is help fix it." Gentarou continued with a contemplative look.

The Headmaster's words fell from his mouth.

Realizing that he interrupted him, Gentarou asked, "Oh! Sorry, were you saying something?"

The headmaster quickly shook his head, waving his hand in the negative, "Oh, n-no, it's nothing, just an old man mumbling." A nod and a shrug were his reply. The Headmaster coughed into his hand again. "You say you want to help with the rebuilding?"

The student nodded. "Yeah, sure. I'm pretty good with fixing up bikes back home. Laying down some brick shouldn't be too hard."

Deciding to ask what a 'bike' was later, Colbert piped in, "While we appreciate the gesture, Sir Gentarou, but as a noble knight, we simply cannot allow you to lower yourself to using your magic for construction work."

Gentarou laughed, blushing a little at being addressed as a 'noble knight'. "Well, I don't know about that knight part, but I am pretty noble. Noble in both heart and spirit, man!" He pumped his fist onto his chest for emphasis. "Cause of that, I can't just let this whole thing go! It's my mess, I'll help fix it!" He pursed his lips when a thought came to him. "Actually, I guess you could say that I am a knight; we Kamen Riders are kinda like 'em, I guess."

Whispers of 'Kamen Rider' were heard between the teachers. Colbert had taken out a notepad and pencil from his robes and wrote the words neatly at the top of the page.

"Kamen... Rider?" Louise whispered, testing the foreign words on her lips. She didn't know what it was, but somehow, the words held... power.

"Kamen Rider... I am not familiar with this rank." The Headmaster admitted. "And I've lived and seen many things in my day. If you don't mind me asking, what is a Kamen Rider?"

At the question, Gentarou smiled widely, a shine sparkling in his eyes. "Kamen Riders are protectors of everyone, especially their friends! We're warriors of justice who beat up bad guys that try to hurt people!"

Some of the teachers traded confused looks with each other. The description was rather... childish. Warriors of justice who beat up bad guys? Really?

But the Headmaster wasn't affected like the teachers were. In fact, the statement only caused him to chuckle. There was a nostalgic twinkle in his eye. "A warrior of justice? Ah, that brings me back to my youth. The good old days..." Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, the Headmaster re-focused on Gentarou. "Judging by your words, I assume Kamen Riders are some kind of special faction of knights dedicated to keeping your country safe?"

"Not just the country," Gentarou replied, his grin widening, "but the whole world too, if it comes down to it."

This time the Headmaster was as dumfounded as the teachers.

"... Surely that's an exaggeration, Sir Gentarou," Colbert managed to get out.

Gentarou shook his head. "I wouldn't kid about something like that. Like I said, I was about to stop my old school chairman from destroying the world. Before that we had trouble with two Space Ironmen who took over a giant satellite and held the whole world hostage. And before that, there was a guy that wanted to take over the world with an army of replicated monsters. _And before that_, there was this alchemist, snake, person that also wanted to take over the world and did it by putting parts of several different cities in the past. Oh, those last two, I had help from some of my Rider buddies! Anyway, _and then there was the time_-"

The Headmaster quickly raised a hand. "I think we get the picture, Sir Gentarou."

Taking a deep breath, Gentarou gave the older man a relieved look, "Awesome, because I was running out of breath there."

If the teachers and Louise were confused before, then they were absolutely dumfounded now. Everything the knight said bordered on delusional fantasy from a novel! Regardless of how honest the young man was, there was no way this was all true! A single school chairman threatened to destroy the world? Two beings who somehow managed to take the entire world hostage? A man who had an army of monsters? Such things were just too ludicrous to believe. And surely, if there was some kind of event that threatened the whole world, Halkeginia would know about it!

And more importantly, there was no way that these Kamen Riders were powerful enough to stop threats on the level the young man was describing if they were somehow actually true.

"Yeah, at first I had a bit of a tough time believing all that too," Gentarou said aloud, crossing his arms with a thoughtful furrow of his brow. Everyone looked at him. Did he know they didn't believe him? "But you know," he continued, "that's how crazy my life's been ever since I put on my belt and- AH!"

Everyone's hearts leapt to their throats at the male student's scream.

"That's right! My belt! Where is it!?" Everyone watched worriedly with slight amusement as the young man spun in place, head turning everywhere. He placed his hands and Louise's shoulders and shook frantically. "Louise!? Have you seen it!?"

"W-A-AA-A-A-A-AAH!" Louise yelled, her own hands trying, and failing, to pry him off.

"It's right there, Sir Gentarou." The Headmaster said blandly, his finger pointing to the object.

The young man stopped and released Louise, the girl shakily trying to get her bearings. Gentarou followed the Headmaster's finger and found the Fourze Driver sitting on the small desk right next to his bed. His face lit up as he moved past the off-balance Louise, grabbed the belt, and strapped it around his waist. He patted the clunky thing happily, feeling like himself again. "Thanks! I wouldn't know what I would've done if I lost this thing!"

Everyone stared at him with deadpan expressions. 'It was right there...' their faces said.

The Headmaster pointed to the belt and said, "That is a curious looking belt, Sir Gentarou. And with the way you reacted to missing it, I assume that it holds significant value?"

"Heck yeah! The Fourze Driver and I have been through a heck of a lot of stuff together." He exclaimed, patting the belt again. "Oh, and call me Gentarou. I'm gonna make everyone here my friends eventually, so let's start on the first name basis stuff now rather than later!"

The headmaster raised his eyebrows. "Gentarou is your first name? I was informed that it was Kisser-agi."

"It's Kisaragi, sir." Gentarou corrected. "In Japan, we say our family names first, then our given names."

"I see. Very well, Gentarou," the Headmaster replied, chuckling a bit before focusing on the belt once more. "So it's called the Fourze Driver... judging by how it looks, it's not just any ordinary belt, is it?"

Gentarou nodded. "It's what I use to become Kamen Rider Fourze!"

"You mean that armor that you had on?" Colbert piped in, an academic glint in the corner of his eye. At the teen's nod, the professor stepped forward, scribbling in his notebook furiously. "Fascinating! So you are saying that your armor comes from the belt? How is that possible?"

Gentarou shrugged. "I don't really know all the fancy, high-tech stuff about how the belt works. I just flip the Switches and transform."

"Ah yes, Switches. You mentioned them back in the tower. They're those things there, yes?" the professor asked, pointing at the four trinkets slotted into the belt.

Smiling, Gentarou removed the orange-colored one from the belt and held it up for the professor to see. "This one's called the Rocket Switch. It gives me this huge orange rocket on my arm and lets me fly." Everyone marveled at the device, the bespectacled man making rough sketches of it in his notebook.

"Rocket Switch... allows you to fly? Amazing!" Colbert said. "What of the other three? Wait, no, there was one that encased your leg, may we see that one?"

Nodding, Gentarou removed the yellow and black Switch. "This one's the Drill Switch. It-" an odd rumbling sound interrupted him, wet and gurgling. Gentarou placed a hand on his stomach. "Uh... Wow. Thanks to that I just realized how hungry I was... I only had some soup for lunch, I think..."

The Headmaster smiled mirthfully. "Luckily for you, it's nearing dinner time." Turning to the teachers, he said, "We shall continue this discussion at a later date. For now, shall we head to the dining hall?"

* * *

As always, please leave some reviews or critique on your way out.


	5. Getting Acquainted Part 4

**Getting Acquainted part 4.**

* * *

"Look, it's the Zero."

"Hey, is that him? The knight she summoned?"

"Him? He looks like a commoner! Where's his armor?"

"He destroyed the Treasury in one shot, I heard."

"Wasn't the Treasury enchanted to withstand even a Triangle Mage's magic?"

"That would make him a Square Mage then..."

"The Zero? Summon someone like him? Impossible!"

Gentarou heard these and many other whispers like them as he and Louise walked through the fancy dining hall to find a table. The teachers had left them to sit at the head table as per school customs, much to Gentarou's disappointment. He still didn't get that gramps' or the other teachers' names. But that wasn't important right now; some of these whispers around him were bordering on malicious, and many of them directed to his first friend in this place.

'They're all calling her 'Zero'...' Gentarou thought with a slight frown, gazing at the pink haired girl's face from the corner of his eye. She stared straight ahead, eyes unwavering, as if refusing to acknowledge everything around her. He looked up at some of the students and saw them giving her snide looks and glares. Not one of them called out to her to sit with them, a wave of hello, or even a friendly glance.

It was like... she didn't have any friends.

That conclusion was cemented in Gentarou's mind when the two reached an empty table at the off corner of the dining hall. The male student thought the table was really fancy, what with the candles and the expensive looking plates and utensils, but it was also lonely. Was this where Louise usually sat?

'She really doesn't have any friends, does she?' Gentarou thought as he looked back at the crowd of students smiling and laughing with each other. An unbelievably large contrast compared to their table. Turning back to Louise, he came to a decision. As her new friend, it was his duty to make sure that she was happy and smiling! 'Operation; Get to Know My New Buddy, start!'

Pulling herself a chair, Louise sat down daintily. Gentarou followed suit, pulling out a chair for himself and sitting next to her. The youngest Valliere's head shot to him with surprise, a bit of a blush on her cheeks.

"W-why are you sitting next to me?" she asked.

Gentarou grinned. "What? This is the best distance for two buddies to talk!"  
"I-It's improper!" Louise stuttered. "Y-you are a Kamen Rider! I'm just a student..."

His grin widened. "Technically, I'm a Kamen Rider _and_ _a student_, so we're fine!"

Louise turned away embarrassedly. "I-I see. If that's the case then it's alright..."

The Kamen Rider laughed mirthfully before looking over the table. "So... where's the food?"

"The servants will bring it out when it is ready..."

He whistled. "You guys have servants? Wow, what a fancy school."

Louise gave him a confused glance. "Isn't it normal for a school to have servants?"

He shook his head. "Not in any school in Japan I know about. Well, if you don't count the lunch ladies, anyway. But it's usually just the students who take care of servant stuff."

"You mean the students are the ones who do the cleaning!?"

"Cleaning, taking out the trash, dusting the erasers... It builds character!"

Louise looked aghast. "Making nobles do chores!? How barbaric!"

Gentarou grinned. "That's exactly why it's noble! We're cleaning up for our teachers who've had a busy day teaching us. It's how we repay them and our school. Even though I have my duties as a Kamen Rider, I still take some time out to do my part of the cleaning."

Louise stared for a moment, but seemed to find the logic in his statement, and accepted it, despite its oddity compared to her school life.

They drifted into a short silence after that. Just in time too, as the servants started to file out of the kitchen pushing carts of food out to the tables.

"Aw man, those look so good!" Gentarou exclaimed while eying a succulent looking roast chicken.

"They taste even better too." Louise declared with pride. "This food is prepared by some of the best chefs in Tristain!"

"I can't wait!"

And he didn't have to, as one of the servants, a pretty black haired maid, approached them with a cart. She stopped before them and bowed before piling food onto the table.

"Oh, that smells so goooood!" Gentarou said, taking a big whiff of every plate the maid set down. Standing up, he extended his hand toward the maid, who almost dropped a plate of salad in surprise. "Thanks a lot, Miss, uh..."

"S-Siesta, sir..." she replied quietly, setting the plate down to hesitantly take his hand.

"Siesta! Thanks!" He took her hand and did his secret handshake, much to the maid's and Louise's confusion. "I'm Kisaragi Gentarou, the man who's gonna become friends with everyone in this school! Nice to meet ya!"

Staring dumbfounded at the man for moment, Siesta hastily curtsied. "A-a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sir Gentarou."

"Just Gentarou's fine. That 'sir' stuff is for the adults."

"Ah, um, very well, G-Gentarou... sir." Siesta squeaked, a bright blush on her face. "Um, I have to get back to work now. E-enjoy your meal!" And with that, the girl hurried off back into the kitchens.

"Okay! See ya later!" Gentarou grinned. "Awesome! I've made my third friend here!"

"Sir Gentarou! What in the world was that!?" Louise just about yelled, garnering the attention of some of the students. Noticing their stares, Louise blushed and quickly composed herself. The other students shrugged and ignored the m once more.

"It's Gentarou. What was what?" Gentarou asked, honestly confused.

"You- you made friends with a servant!"

"Yeah, so?"

Louise looked affronted. "So!? It's shameful for people of noble standing to affiliate themselves with the lower class!"

Gentarou let out an amused breath. "Well my definition of noble is makin' friends with everyone! I told you, didn't I? I'm making everyone in this school my friend, and I mean everyone!" He turned away from the youngest Valliere's gaping face to stare at the food. "Oh man, what should I eat first? That chicken looks awesome, oh, but those beef slices look really good too..."

Louise shook herself out of her shock. "You can't eat yet!"

Gentarou turned to her with a look akin to a child getting his candy taken away. "Eh!? Why?"

"We haven't prayed to the Founder yet!"

"... You pray to the founder of the school?"

"No! We pray to Founder Brimir!"

"Who's Boromir?"

"WH-" Louise slapped her hands to her mouth before she could yell out and embarrass herself in front of all of the students, teachers, and servants. Thankfully, no one noticed her distress. Lowering her voice to a harsh whisper, Louise continued, "It's Brimir! And what do you mean you don't know who Founder Brimir is!?"

Gentarou gave her an apologetic look. "Well I can't help it if I don't. It's the first time I've ever heard of him."

"How could you not know!? He-" Louise was about to go off on a tirade on the blasphemy of not knowing of their Founder's grace when she realized something. "Sir Gentarou, where exactly is your country?"

"Just Gentarou," he corrected before making a thoughtful face. "Japan? It's a bunch of islands really far to the east of the world. It's next to Korea and China."

Louise's face blanched. "The east? You come from beyond _Rub_Al'khali!"

Gentarou really regretted not having paid more attention in geography class. At the very least, he knew that this Rub-something place wasn't anywhere near Japan. "Um... Sure?" he said with an unsure grin.

He felt a bit uncomfortable as Louise stared at him, her eyes seeming to glance at every detail on the male student's face. Finally, after a long moment, she sighed.

"Well, I guess that's understandable," Louise mumbled. "Brimir's influence hasn't reached past the Holy Land..." It goes without saying that the way Gentarou held himself wasn't quite similar to the way Halkeginian nobles do so. It was Brimir and the Church that taught that the few blessed with magic are chosen by God to rule over the common folk, but since Japan was far past the Elven Lands, the holy teachings would never have reached them. So that would mean Japan uses a different system. A kind of teaching that seemed to be more lenient on the difference between noble and commoners, if Gentarou's attitude toward that maid were any indication. The way he acted was also much like that of a commoner's.

'What kind of country is this Japan to permit him to act this way?' Louise thought while staring at the high school student who stared at his food openly with a gaping mouth. 'Perhaps it is because he is a Kamen Rider? High ranking nobles are entitled to acting however they see fit within the boundaries of the law... but even then, they commit to the proper noble bearing. Did Japan give Kamen Riders more rights because of their importance?'

Her thoughts stopped when Gentarou poked her shoulder, causing her to turn to him. "Hey, Louise," he began, "everyone's standing up. We're gonna do that prayer thing now, yeah?"

"Oh, yes that's right," she answered as she herself stood from her seat. She clasped her hands in front of her. "Put your hands like this and bow your head. This is probably the first time you'll hear this prayer of thanks, so it's fine to just listen along. But for the meals after this, it is expected that you recite the prayer along with the others."

Gentarou nodded his head resolutely, seeing this as a chance to deepen his friendship with Louise. "Don't you worry about that! I'm great when it comes to listening to my friends!"

And listen he did. Thankfully, the prayer wasn't overly long; "Oh, Great Founder Brimir, and our lady, the Queen, we thank you for this humble meal that you have graciously provided us this evening." At the prayer's end, everyone sat down and tucked into the meal.

"Itadakimasu!" Gentarou said enthusiastically as he piled some beef and chicken onto his plate.

"It-a-dah-kee-ma-su?" Louise repeated, wondering if the translation spell on him was wearing out. "What does that mean?"

"It's what we Japanese say before we start eating," he replied. "It's our way of saying 'Thanks for the food'!"

"I see, so it's like our prayer."

"A really, really, short version, but yeah." With that said, he took his fork, lifted his plate to his face, and shoveled food into his mouth.

Louise stared at him, disgusted. She could somewhat understand his blatant ignorance of proper dining etiquette due to his hunger, but really? He was eating like a pig! Japan and Halkeginia may have different cultures, but she was damn sure that no one ate like that!

"So... tell me a bit about yourself, Louise," Gentarou asked with a mouth full of food, further disgusting Louise.

With another sigh, Louise straightened herself and declared with pride, "I am Louise Francoise le Blanc de la Valliere, third daughter of the noble house of Valliere."

Gentarou swallowed his food audibly and grinned. "You have a lot of pride in your family, it looks like."

She smirked. "But of course. The Valliere house is a family with close ties to the Crown, after all."

"Nice. It must be awesome being so close to some big-shots." Gentarou remarked, skewering a meat slice with a fork and popping it into his mouth. "So what kind of things do you like?"

Louise paused mid way from lifting her drink. "Wait, that's it? You're not going to ask me about the Crown or my family?" She had expected a bit more of a reaction when one found out that their acquaintance had ties to royalty.

The male student snorted. "Well, I was asking about you in the first place, not your family or your other relationships, even though it's good to know. When I meet them, I'll get to know them then. Right now though, it's just about you and me!" Can't get to know his new buddy if they were talking about other people, of course!

Louise blushed slightly. Well, when he put it that way then she could see where he was coming from. Though that last phrase was a bit... too easily misunderstood. The youngest Valliere cleared her throat.  
"I see. Very well. Let's see... I like a lot of different foods, but cookberry pie is my absolute favorite. We don't have any here this time, unfortunately."

Gentarou's eyes lit up. "That sounds tasty. What is it?"

Louise looked aghast. "What is it? It is only the most deliciously sweet pie in all of history! Do they not have cookberry pie in Japan?"

Gentarou shook his head. "We have pies, but no cookberry pies. We have taiyaki though, which is my favorite."

"Tai-yukky?"

Gentarou chuckled. "Taiyaki. It's made of sweet azuki beans stuffed in a fish-shaped pancake."

"That sounds odd," Louise admitted, "but I do like pancakes..."

He flashed her a brilliant smile. "Me too! Seems we have something in common!"

"I-it seems we do..." Louise replied shyly.

"Maybe we can get some pancakes tomorrow morning or something..."

"You can ask the servants. They'll make it for you."

"Really?" Gentarou looked as excited as a child. "Let's have some tomorrow then! What do ya say, Louise?"

Like she could deny him with his enthusiasm. She smiled back. "Yes, that would be nice."

The Kamen Rider laughed. Louise couldn't help but giggle along, caught along his pace.

* * *

"My, my. Isn't little Louise having fun."

On a table not too far from the Valliere's sat a beautiful red-haired girl who stared intently at the two giggling teens, her fingers entwined to prop her head up elegantly. "Hmph. When was the last time I saw her smile like that...?"

A short, blue haired girl in the seat next to her swallowed the last bite of her fourth steak before replying. "Concerned?"

"About what? That Louise is actually having some fun for once?" Her lips tugged upwards. "I'm actually quite happy for her...a little bit."

The shorter girl placed a whole roast chicken on her plate. "Bullying her."

The red-head actually looked affronted. "I am not bullying her, I'm teasing her! There is a difference, Tabitha. I can't help that she looks so adorable when she's angry~."

"Calling her 'Zero'."

"It's not like I started that whole 'Zero' nonsense. I'm merely 'jumping on the bandwagon', as it were. I have to keep my appearances, after all; I am a Zerbst and she is a Valliere. Our family rivalry has lasted centuries. It is our fate to continue that rivalry."

"I know. Still not okay."

Kirche grimaced and said nothing, poking at her meal with a fork. A short silence between the two followed before she spoke up with a sigh. "She really looks happier than she's ever been."

"Introduce yourself."

"Oh, I'd _love_ too. The knight is simply one of the finest examples of the male gender I've seen here." She said in a husky tone, eyeing the laughing Kamen Rider. "The other boys simply don't compare."

"So why stay?"

"I don't want to interrupt."

Tabitha looked at Kirche with a raised eyebrow. "Not like you."

Kirche smiled. "I just want to let little Louise have some fun for a change. Is that so wrong?"

The shorter girl shrugged before returning to her meal. Having nothing more to say, Kirche returned to observing Louise and the summoned knight.

* * *

"Knitting? Like clothes and stuff?"

"Well, only small things, like gloves and scarves, and even then, they're not very good."

Gentarou hummed, his lips turning to a smile. "I wanna see 'em."

Louise looked alarmed. "No! Absolutely not! I told you I'm not very good yet. You'll just laugh at my fai-... previous attempts..."

"Laugh at my buddy?" Gentarou actually looked offended. "I'd never do something so mean to my friends, Louise! You can be sure about that." He pumped his fist to his chest. "Trust me; I'm a man of my word!"

Oh, Louise didn't doubt that, recalling how utterly honest he'd been ever since she summoned him. She sighed. "W-well, if you promise, then fine, I'll show you some of the scarves I've made..."

"Awesome!" Gentarou fist pumped.

"Just don't get your hopes up for anything spectacular." Louise warned, but was smiling at the same time. It was the first time she ever told anyone aside from Cattleya that she knit as a hobby. Speaking of hobbies... "What do you do for a hobby, S-... er, Gentarou?"

"I fix up bikes!" he replied.

"Yes, you mentioned them before. What are they?"

Gentarou blinked. "You don't know what a bike is? I thought everyone knew."

Louise shook her head. "Well, maybe everyone in Japan may know, but I've never heard of the term in Tristain."

"Tristain?"

"The country we're in right now."

"Ah." That sounded like someplace in Europe or America. At least he knew where he was now. "But I thought everywhere in the world had bikes."

Louise's brows furrowed in confusion. "Really? Hmm... Are they some manner of creature?"

Gentarou shook his head. "They're not animals. People make them and ride on them."

"Ride on them?"

"Yeah. Some people use them. Most Kamen Riders use them, actually."

"Ah! Hence the term 'Rider'."

"Yup!"

"How interesting. I hope to see you riding one of them someday."

"Sure, if I can get back to Japan and come back here."

"Oh..." Louise felt her chest tighten as she fidgeted in place. She realized then that Gentarou might never be able to return to his homeland. If Japan was to the east, then he would have to cross _Rub_Al'khali, an impossible feat due to the Elves inhabiting the desert. And then past the desert are the Unknown Lands, the lands unexplored by Halkeginia. Who knows what could lie there... With a somber look, Louise looked at the Kamen Rider. "Gentarou... I'm sorry that I called you here. I-"

"Don't be sorry, Louise!" Gentarou interrupted in a slightly admonishing tone. "I've already said that I don't care about that." He smiled. "All that matters is that I was the one you called, and you sounded like you needed a friend. The portal took me by surprise, sure, but if someone was calling me to be their friend, then I can't say no, no matter what!"

"But you might never go back to Japan because of me..."

"That's not true." Gentarou replied with a shake of his head. "I have over a thousand friends in Japan." Louise's eyes bulged as Gentarou continued. "If any one of them needs my help, I'll get to them or they'll come to me."

Louise stared at him in disbelief. "How can you be so sure? They're halfway around the world across how many thousands of kilometers!"

The Kamen Rider smiled. "Cause I have faith in the bonds me and friends have. That's all I need."

"Bonds..." Louise whispered. "Deep enough that you'd give your lives for them...?"

"Yeah. And they'd give theirs for me." Gentarou replied with a bit of melancholy. "Not that I'd ever want them too... not if I had anything to say about it."

Louise stared at the Kamen Rider who seemed so distant and tired all of a sudden. She recalled the first time he was like this; he whispered a name at that time. Kengo, she believed it was. Obviously, he or she was a friend that he... lost recently; perhaps to the man he was fighting. It made her curious, but it would be tactless of her to ask. Instead, she tugged on his jacket sleeve.

"Are you well, Gentarou?" she asked.

The seemed to snap Gentarou out of his trance. He looked at Louise and smiled, "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Sorry 'bout spacing out there."

She shook her head. "No, it's fine..." pausing to daintily wipe her lips with a napkin, she continued, "I've had enough dinner for tonight, how about you?"

"Yeah, I'm done too. I wish I could eat some more, though. It's all so good!" Gentarou grinned. "So, do we just get up and leave, or wait for everyone to finish?"

"There are no classes after dinner, so usually the students just loiter around or head back into their dormitories," Louise replied. "But before that, we have to talk with the Headmaster to see if he wants to continue our conversation from earlier."

Gentarou nodded as he stood up. "Got it. Lead the way."

Standing up herself, Louise returned the nod and walked toward the teacher's table, the Kamen Rider following behind her.

The Headmaster was digging in to some pudding when he and the other teachers saw the two approach. "Good evening, Miss Valliere, Gentarou." He greeted, standing from his seat.

Louise returned the greeting with a small curtsy and a, "Good evening, Headmaster Osmond."

Gentarou grinned. "So that's your name!"

Osmond turned to the male student with shock. "Ah! That's right, I had forgotten to introduce myself to you properly! Forgive me, Gentarou."

"Nah, it was my fault for not asking."

The elder man chuckled. "Well, since we're here now, I'll introduce myself properly. I am Headmaster Old Osmond. Just Headmaster or Osmond is fine," he announced as he put out his hand.

Gentarou took the hand and performed his friendship handshake, to the Headmaster's curiosity and delight. "Nice to meet you, Headmaster Osmond!"

Osmond smiled. "Likewise. Now, what is it I can do for you?"

Louise stepped forward. "We're here to continue the meeting earlier."

"Ah, yes, that's right," the Headmaster nodded. "We left off on asking about your belt and the Switches, yes? Though, Professor Colbert was the one who showed the most interest in them. He'd be appalled if we continued without him."

"Where is he anyway?" Gentarou asked, eyes sweeping the table for the bespectacled teacher.

"He retired to the library to compile and research his notes. I expect he'll be there all night with all of the new knowledge he received from you."

"Uh, is that a good thing?"

The Headmaster chuckled. "Colbert is happiest when he's learning, so you need not worry. What's more important right now is how we are going to deal with your current predicament. But with today's events, I believe it is best if we retire for tonight and continue tomorrow." The Headmaster gave Gentarou an analytical look. "You just came out of a battle and you," he turned his gaze to Louise, "were forced into a... very complicated ordeal."

Louise nervously nodded. "I understand. But where will Gentarou sleep?" she asked, looking at the Kamen Rider.

"Luckily, there are a few vacant dorms in the Tower of Void, that is, if you do not mind small rooms, Gentarou," the Headmaster said, turning to Gentarou.

He shook his head. "Anything's fine, so long as I got a place to sleep."

"Then I'll have a maid show you to your room."

"That won't be necessary, Headmaster," Louise said as the two men looked at her with questioning gazes. "My dorm is in the Tower of Void and it just so happens that there is a vacant room on my floor."

"So we'll be dorm-mates then! Awesome!" Gentarou exclaimed with a grin.

The Headmaster clapped his hands once. "Perfect! Then I'll have you lead Gentarou to his dorm."

"Yes, Headmaster," Louise said, "If you'll excuse us, we shall see you tomorrow."

"Have a good night, Louise, Gentarou."

"See ya tomorrow!" Gentarou waved.

With that, the summoner and summon walked away from the table and out of the dining room, curious stares and whispers following them as they left. They went back to their meals as the doors closed after the two.

Some thought they heard a scream, but put it down to their imagination.

* * *

"AHHHH!" Gentarou screamed, finger pointing toward the sky. "TWO! LOUISE! TWO! AS IN DOUBLE!"

"W-what's wrong!? Why are you screaming!?" Louise yelled back worriedly.

Gentarou shakily stared back at her. "T-t-t-t-two moons!"

Louise turned to the moons in the sky then back to the shaking Rider. "Yes, those are the moons. What about them?"

"But... there's only supposed to be one!" Gentarou flailed his arms as Louise looked at him with confusion. "Just one, and it's small and gray! I know; I've been on the moon!"

"You what!?" Louise exclaimed, but quickly shook her head, "Gentarou, there's always been two moons! One moon is impossible!"

"B-but, what, I-" Gentarou spluttered unintelligently, his brain going haywire. "This means that... I-I'm not..."

Louise worriedly stared at the man she summoned. "You're not what?"

Quieting down, Gentarou stared into Louise's eyes. "I think I'm on a different planet, Louise..."

Not even a cricket chirped at the announcment. All Louise could do was stare blankly at Gentarou for a long moment before replying with a, "What?"

"A different planet." Gentarou stressed. "It's the only explanation!"

Louise looked at him strangely. "Gentarou, I don't think that's possible..."

Her face was suddenly mere inches from his. Louise squeaked and blushed.

"You said that you were calling for someone from somewhere in the universe, right?"Gentarou asked.

"Y-yes." Was Louise's timid reply.

"And the universe, Louise, is a huge, huuuuuuuge place! So maybe your portal thing searched the entire universe to find me and bring me here!"

"Well, i-it's entirely possible, I think." She didn't, but the forceful look he was giving her was getting uncomfortable.

Standing up, Gentarou turned to look at the large moons and whispered, "So that means that I'm on an alien planet."

Louise stared worriedly at the male who seemed to have frozen in place. "Gentarou?" When she didn't get a response, she tugged on hi s sleeve. "Gentarou...? Are you...?"

She did not expect him to turn to her and lift her up into a hug.

"And that means you're my first ALIEN FRIEND!"

"G-G-G-G-Gentarou! P-Put me down!" she screamed as her face went redder than a tomato.

"FIRST ALIEN FRIEEEEEEEEND~!"

"GAH!"

It took a bit of time for Gentarou to calm down after that, but eventually they made their way to his new dorm, though the Rider was animatedly talking about how exciting it was to be on a different world. Louise listened half-heartedly, completely skeptic about his revelation, though at the same time, not willing to dismiss it given how honest he naturally was. She resolved to ask him more about 'his world' the next day.

But seriously, one moon and other worlds? Preposterous.

* * *

The dorm room was quite big in Gentarou's opinion, though the bed took quite a large portion of the space. Still it managed to fit the basic necessities for a noble student; an ornate wooden desk with a chair, a laundry basket for dirty clothes, a large closet next to the desk, and a window.

"This bed's huge!" Gentarou exclaimed as he dived on the four poster bed. "And soft too! I feel like I could fall asleep right now!"

Louise, who watched outside of the room and looking a bit haggard, giggled. Honestly, the Kamen Rider acted like such a child. It was quite endearing in some ways. "I'll see you tomorrow then, Gentarou," she said, "If you need anything, I'm only two doors to the left."

"Got it, thanks!" Gentarou replied with a thumbs up. "And don't forget, pancakes tomorrow!"

Louise fidgeted in place. "I... I won't forget. Good night." And then she softly closed the door and walked off to her own room.

As she left, Gentarou pumped his fist in triumph. 'The Operation was a success!' he thought with a smile. They got to know a heck of a lot about each other in the few hours after they met. 'It definitely looks like Louise isn't feeling so lonely anymore. And she's been smiling too, so that's good.'

Gentarou turned to look out the window to see the moon, no, one of the moons hanging in the night. 'Man, a different planet. I never thought that I'd ever travel to one.' Gentarou shook happily. 'This is the greatest day of my life! Well, aside from all the days that I made a new friend, heh.'

He stretched his arms and yawned. He removed his jacket and threw it over on the desk then slipped off his shoes and socks and slipped them under the bed.

'But what was up with all that 'Zero' stuff the other students kept whispering about?' Gentarou frowned as he slipped into the covers of the bed. 'That's a pretty mean nickname to give someone, saying that they're the same as nothing... what kind of person would start a mean thing like that?'

The Kamen Rider shook his head and sighed. 'Well, whatever. Friendship is the best medicine for loneliness and bullying! Louise is gonna get a huge dose of me-medicine every morning, afternoon, and night for as long as I'm here!' He smiled. 'And I'll make more friends here so she and I can have more friends. More and more alien friends, yeah! That's a great plan!'

He'll make her smile wider than she ever thought possible! Cause that's what friends do!

A moment later, the sound of light snores filled the room.

* * *

As always, tell me of any mistakes I can fix. And kindly leave a review on your way~

So with this, the Getting Acquainted arc is done!

Now we can go see what the Kamen Rider Club has been doing... next chapter.


	6. Club, Foundation, Portal, Deal Part 1

**Hello everyone. You know, I'm reeling from the positive feedback this fic has been getting as of late, even though it's really only in its beginning stages and not much action has happened... It will come, I promise!**

**But for now, it's time to go back to the World of Riders.**

_**Ch. 3 - The Club, the Foundation, the Portal, and the Deal - part 1**_

* * *

_The Club_

"So how is it, Ryuusei?"

Ryuusei looked up from his laptop to see the worried face of the Club President Miu. The usually kempt and beautiful features of the aspiring model were haggard and distraught. He could see hints of drying, mascara-filled tears were on her cheeks. Ryuusei sighed and rubbed his strained eyes.

"Nothing. I've had the M-BUS scanning Japan for any traces of the Fourze Belt's Cosmic Energy all night. The process is only about halfway done, but there's no sign of him."

Miu bit her lip. "Can you configure the search to scanning the entire globe? There's a chance that portal took him out of Japan and into another country."

The transfer student gave her an unsure look. "I could, but I don't know how long that would take. I would have to first unlock the M-BUS's master controls and then I'd have to get it to move over the planet while avoiding interfering with other satellites and surveillance systems. The M-BUS technically doesn't exist so there'd be trouble if any government found out about it."

Miu nodded her head in understanding. "And how long will all of that take?"

The reply was quick and sure, but not what she wanted to hear; "Months. Maybe a year."

Miu grimaced. "I see... do what you can, then."

Ryuusei nodded and went back to his work as the club president turned to another person.

"JK, how are things on your end?"

The flashily dressed teen didn't look up from one of the many cellphones on his desk, his fingers almost blurs as he texted wildly. "Sorry, Miu, I'm sending out messages to everyone I know and everyone they know all over Japan. Everyone looking's been giving me texts on their progress too." He shook his head. "None of them have seen Gentarou at all."

The club president clicked her tongue before taking a seat on one of the empty desks in the classroom, rubbing her temples with one hand and hitting speed dial on her cell phone with the other. It didn't take long for the call to be received.

"Miu."

"Shun. Please, tell me you have some good news."

The deep, frustrated sigh on the other end did nothing for her mood. "I'm sorry. I've driven to every place I could think of. No sign of him." There was a short pause as the sound of a car being started was heard on the other end. "I've just filled up on gas, so I'm gonna keep looking."

"Alright... thank you."

"No problem. We'll find him, Miu."

"We will."

She clicked her phone shut and ran a frustrated hand through her hair. "Gentarou..." she whispered, her voice cracking slightly. Why did this have to happen? Just when they were so close to finally putting this whole nightmare to an end, their luck had to take another turn for the worse and take away _another_ one of their friends away. It hurt so much when Kengo died, but now Gentarou? That guy who brought them all together in the first place? The guy who made friends with them despite all their flaws? Honestly, it felt like someone had stabbed her in the heart. It showed in the others too, with the way they all reacted in the hours after the event.

Shun had gotten into his car and drove off to look for Gentarou the second she finished giving him his task. She offered to go with the college football player, but he told her that she needed to stay and lead the Club. He never passed up a chance to be with her.

JK had been unnaturally silent as he texted all night, several phones hooked up to chargers and his thumbs burning an angry red from constant texting and calling. The party animal Miu knew had a serious look that seemed so strange on his usually smiling face.

Tomoko had drawn an ominous, multi-layered ritual circle in the middle of the room and back at the gymnasium where the portal appeared. It was to find any residual energy left off from the portal, she said. A black aura could almost be seen around her, dripping with despair but also angry determination. Not one of them, except maybe Ryuusei, could approach within ten feet of her without being affected with an onslaught of despair.

As for the transfer/martial arts student, he was composed, like normal. He was always the best of them all at hiding his emotions. However, Miu would notice the way his face and arms tensed at times or how his hands would clench into a hard fist until his knuckles went white and his fingernails dug into his skin.

Yuki... The space lover had taken command of the Foodroids via the Astroswitch Kaban, pushing them to their limit to find any trace of Gentarou. Every so often, the club president would see the girl choke back a sob or wipe her eyes. She'd known Kengo since they started school together and Gentarou since she was a kid. Losing both of them in such a short time... the president couldn't even imagine what she must be going through right now.

And herself... The club president sighed wearily. She was well aware how horrid and tired she looked. The old her would have gagged if she went an hour without adjusting her make-up, but look at her now; black mascara on her cheeks, blush foundation a mess, her lipstick gone from all the cups of coffee she had to keep herself energized...

Gentarou would hate to see them all like this... she could imagine him running up to them all and giving each of them some pep talk and a nice big hug.

He would after they find him, that is. _If_ they find him. And if he was still...

No! She would not dare think that! Gentarou was alive. Miu felt it in her heart, and she was sure the others had the same feeling too. He came back from the dead, for heaven's sake! They _will_ find him, no matter how long it takes!

He'd never give up on them, and neither will they.

But the situation looked bleak. The only reliable way they had to find Gentarou was by finding the Cosmic Energy produced by the Fourze Belt, a task that Ryuusei said would take up to a year with what they had. She cursed the Chairman and Leo for destroying the Rabbit Hatch.

The chairman... he was also sucked into that portal. There were two events that could happen as a result; he could have ended up with Gentarou and continued the fight or ended up someplace far away, giving him time to lick his wounds and start his whole plan again. It goes without saying that the first option was preferable. If the latter was the case then all the more important that they find Gentarou so they can stop him. Ryuusei was strong but he can't take the Sagittarius Zordiarts alone.

But they were having absolutely no luck. Hell, he may not even be in Japan anymore. Ryuusei said that scanning the globe would take almost a year. By the time they found him, Gamou would have recovered and restarted the Zodiarts. The only bright side to this whole mess was that the former chairman lost eleven of the twelve Horoscope Switches, which were promptly destroyed after Ryuusei collected them from the battle site. Gamou would have to find the Horoscopes in new people now, buying them some precious time.

'But how much? A few months maybe...' Miu thought bitterly. The chairman was nothing if not both resourceful and influential, especially so with his connections to Foundation X. While they were still looking for Gentarou, the chairman could have already contacted them to restart his ambitions. All the more reason for them to hurry. But who else could help them? She already had most of the former Zodiarts helping them out as well as almost half the student body. Perhaps she could get help from those two detectives... She heard that they do great work, so maybe they-

Her train of thought was interrupted by three soft knocks clicking on the door before it slid open.

"Good afternoon."

The club members looked to the direction of the calm, smooth voice. A prim woman stood at the doorway dressed in a white suit jacket, red skirt, and high-heel sandals, all expensive designer labels, Miu noted. She also noted that the woman was astonishingly pretty; a nice, angled face touched up slightly by blush, all framed by long, brown hair. Curiously, the woman held a ribbon-wrapped box in her right hand.

The woman's eyes went to each person in the room before she asked in a monotone, "This is the Kamen Rider Club, yes?"

Slightly unnerved by the cold way of speaking, Miu answered, "... Yes, that's us?"

The woman turned to her. "And you must be Kazashiro Miu?"

'How did she know?' the club thought simultaneously, putting themselves on guard. Miu nodded hesitantly before replying, "Yes, that's me..."

The woman stared at her for a moment before giving a curt bow. "A pleasure. I'm Satonaka Erika. I've come here to deliver these to you." The stepped over to a nearby desk and placed the box on top of it. She then reached into her jacket and pulled out a bright red envelope which she held out to the club president. "Inside the box is a cake. It's vanilla with ice cream filling. Please enjoy it later. As for the letter, I suggest that you read it immediately."

Miu took the letter, staring at it curiously as the others crowded around her. The words 'To the Kamen Rider Club' were written neatly and confidently, in English cursive no less, on the back side. On the front of the letter was a white wax seal depicting a hollow circle with an infinity symbol in the center with a large letter 'K' behind it.

"Who would send us a letter?" Ryuusei asked, eyes suspiciously staring at the letter and at the woman.

"Especially one like that," JK added, still texting away. "Not a lot of people actually _write_ letters anymore."

"It's true," Miu confirmed. "Not many do, but there are some. Fairly wealthy people often write letters by hand, like this one."

JK raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think the person who wrote this was rich?"

"It was hand delivered, for one," she replied, nodding her head to Erika who stood by, watching them with a bored gaze. "There's also the quality of this paper. Shun writes his love letters to me-" she rolled her eyes "- on this kind of high-class paper all the time. And then there's this fancy wax seal. When have you ever seen a wax seal before that wasn't in a live drama?"

"I have." Tomoko replied darkly. "I use it for my... rituals."

The club president sighed, giving the goth a slightly annoyed look. "You know what I mean." She went back to the seal and examined it closely, a feeling of familiarity rising. "Hmm, I think I've seen this symbol somewhere before..."

Ryuusei blinked, giving the symbol another look. "Now that you mentioned it..."

"Me too," Yuki supplied, putting a finger to her lips. "But where?"

"On several products," Erika said aloud, causing the club members to look at her. "Like clothes, computers, home entertainment systems, kitchenware, cars, motorcycles, or vending machines, and on TV commercials and sponsor credits as well. It's a multipurpose type of company."

The club members racked their brains, placing the symbol on the products the woman mentioned.

It took less than a second for the company come into mind.

"The Kougami Foundation!?" the club members shouted with surprise.

* * *

**Again, apologies for the slow update rate as well as thanks for sticking araound. I would like to thank some of you for helping me with grammar and spelling mistakes! Please, keep it up; I want to make sure there are no hiccups in your reading.**

**Stay tuned for the next part!**


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